


A Trickster's Game

by ThymeSprite



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: British Character, British Museum, F/M, Infinity Gems, Loki Feels, Loki Needs a Hug, Loki-centric, Miðgarðr | Midgard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 19:53:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 58,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3459902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThymeSprite/pseuds/ThymeSprite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki's schemes do not go according to plan and so he is forced to flee, to Midgard of all places.<br/>What he learns there is his chance for ultimate power...or redemption.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Set after "Thor: The Dark World" so there will be spoilers. 
> 
> Other than that, please enjoy.

“Thank you.”, Thor said sincerely before he turned his back on the figure of his father to leave the throne room.

“No.”, he replied when the God of Thunder swept out of sight and it was safe to abandon the disguise of Odin Allfather and show his, Loki’s face again, “Thank you.”

Into the void of the empty hall, Loki chuckled darkly. This had all been far too easy. No resistance, no guards, not even one single oh so valiant soldier of Asgard to guard the throne room when old Odin had just left it for a moment. Pathetic.

But just for the better as it suited his interests. Although… what fun was it to seize a kingdom that practically rolled over and presented its bare throat? None whatsoever. Even New York had put up a better fight than Asgard.

He scoffed and looked around the room. It was true what he had told Thor; one of Odin’s sons – alleged sons, actually, namely himself – wanted the throne too much. However, just because he had a right to it, yet no chance. Which just meant that he had to create his chance. And for this end, he had to get rid of the pesky Allfather, once and for all. The realm had been under his rule for much too long anyway.

Biting his lip, Loki thought of the fate most befitting his foster father’s offences when a faint sound drew his gaze to the doors on the opposite side of the throne room.

“Seize him!”, Odin barked a command at his guards and Loki hissed in annoyance. The old man had recovered from the blow he had dealt against his thick head far more quickly than he had liked. No matter, he would just have to knock him out yet again.

It was time to play with that new toy he had acquired. Loki forcefully pounded the butt of the spear Gungnir he had taken from unconscious Odin’s hands against the floor and not only did the sound of it echo throughout the room, no, its effect was far more satisfying. Two of the guards the Allfather had sent against him were knocked off their feet, two more skidded to an insecure halt. A prefect invitation. Sweeping the spear in a wide, upwards arc, Loki felt the powerful magic in the artefact Odin had wielded for centuries and the rest of the guards were pushed out of his way, one of them was hurled against the far off wall and sagged into a sad heap of slack limbs.

“Out!”, Odin cried and impatiently gestured at the guards, “I will deal with this creature on my own, none of you need get hurt.”

Hearing this, Loki just had to burst out laughing: “So now it is just you and me. Are you sure you can take me on, old man?”

“Never doubt it, boy.”, was the answer he got thrown in his face and Loki snarled, even more so when Odin added, “For I am not alone. You are.”

With that he opened his hand and Gungnir, Spear of the King of the Aesir, flew back to him.

“A traitorous weapon as I see.”, Loki ground out and was enraged even more as Odin answered calmly, “Only to those it finds unworthy. And you are utterly unworthy.”

His rage needed an outlet, so the burst of flame came naturally to Loki’s hands and he directed it at Odin, missing him by mere inches. He adjusted his stance, shifting to the right. It was too late to react when he realised that this had been a mistake.

His few, idiotic steps had brought him much too close to the seasoned warrior and Odin jabbed Gungnir’s razor-sharp blade against his ankles. By a hair’s breadth Loki escaped the mutilating blow, stumbling to the side.

Much more quickly than he had anticipated, Odin swung the spear around and with much more force than Loki had thought possible, the butt of the spear crashed against his cheekbone, sending a debilitating bolt of white-hot pain through his skull that almost floored him.

Dizzy from the pain and the deafening ringing in his ears, Loki brought enough space between Odin and himself to gather magical fire… but it failed him.

Appalled, Loki stared at his empty hands and saw nothing, no flames, not even a spark of magic. Even worse, he could no longer feel magic within him. It was gone.

Never before had he felt so weak, so utterly deficient.

“No…”, he whispered in disbelief and looked into Odin’s grim, unforgiving eyes, “How?”

“Does it matter?”, the Allfather sharply countered, “You are defeated. Stop this nonsense and return to your cell.”

“Never!”, Loki spat at him, but he knew he had no other choice. Unless…

“Do not even think about it.”, Odin threatened, but Loki merely gave him a derisive smirk, “I am afraid, Allfather, that it is too late for that request.”

Whirling around, Loki ignored the Allfather’s shouts for guards and dashed to the servant’s door behind the throne, slipping through within a heartbeat, bolting it shut with the metal beam in the next. He did not savour the delusion that this would stop Odin, but it would buy himself a few precious seconds he desperately needed. With no magic, his only weapon was gone.

No, Loki shook his head, it was by no means his only weapon. He still had his wits about him and he was intended to put them to good use, just as Mother had taught him. He forcefully bit his lip and corrected himself as he started running through the corridors of Asgard, he did not know his mother. Frigga had cared for him, but she had never been his mother. Yet, she had taught him her magic and, more importantly, that brutal strength was not everything, that he could best everyone with his wits alone.

After all, knowledge was power. And he knew that there was a way out of Asgard, a way not even Odin or Heimdall knew about and this gave him the power he needed to survive.

Hesitating at a corner in the storage cellars, he heard voices from the adjacent corridor, and Loki stopped to catch his breath. Just as he had feared, the chamber containing his rescue was guarded and he grimaced. He immediately regretted that as Odin’s blow had made half his face swell up and with an unhappy grin, Loki tried to picture how he looked. None too great, that was for sure, but he could not hope to be so far beyond recognition that the guards would let him pass.

Truly, they would not, but that was exactly the point he would exploit.

Ascertaining that he was right about the rooms in the vicinity, a plan ripened in his mind and so all he had to do was wait. Not for long, however, as not a minute later a guard ran right past the door behind which he was hiding and told the two guarding the chamber Loki needed to get into: “Prince Loki is alive and he is on the loose. The Allfather wants him captured by all means.”

“Does he now?”, Loki murmured faintly and smiled for this would even help his plan, “Thank you, old man.”

He waited until the messenger had left, then quietly left the room, deliberately making the door creak just the faintest little bit. Then he limped along the corridor, away from the guards, but allowing them to see him.

“Halt!”, one of them cried and this was followed by a string of words Loki did not deign to listen to, for he had what he wanted: The two guards were at his heels and had abandoned the door to the chamber.

Giving them the chance to almost catch up, Loki dashed to the side in the last moment and as he pushed the door shut behind him, immediately locking it, he heard the guards clumsily skid to a halt before they managed to turn around and bang against the door he was behind now.

Yet he did not stay to see the outcome of their noisy attempts to break down the door, instead he rushed through the storage room he was in to the other door into the next room and the one after that before he emerged from the cellars again on the other side of the corridor into which he had led the guards.

Now, with them still trying to break down the heavy door, he could take a lazy stroll to the chamber his salvation lay in. Nevertheless, he quickened his pace and slipped into the treasure room.

Whenever he had been here, with the Allfather’s consent or without it, Loki had been overwhelmed by the power, the sheer blinding, raw energy of purest magic. Now it was nothing more than a faint humming, a tingling in the tips of his fingers.

The realisation that Odin had taken away his magic filled him with rage, but it was useless, so next came despair. What was he to do without magic? He was not even half himself anymore. All he could do now was hope the device would not require too much magic, best none at all for he had not much time left, he had to leave now.

It was no difficulty for him to find the silver disc with purple inlays. It was a counterpart of another, much more powerful artefact Odin had never deigned to explain to anyone, but the mere fact that he had not done so was proof enough for Loki that he needed it and this disc was the gateway to it, this much he had read out of Odin’s incoherent mutterings about the disc. Apart from that, he did not know what exactly it was, but it made no difference.

He gingerly picked up the disc, not exactly sure how to activate it.

A forceful bang at the door made him whirl around just in time to see that the two guards had forced open the door and behind them was no other than Odin. He had to get away!

And just like that, the artefact heeded his plea as Loki felt the magic of a powerful teleportation spell surge through him.

At first relief rushed through him, but then fear grabbed a tight hold of him. He had no idea where he was going.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Midgard. Of course, of all the places in the whole universe, he had to strand in Midgard, the world he had tried to conquer. And would have had the Avengers not interfered.

Now they were nowhere in sight, but Loki was completely derived of any means of conquest. He had left Asgard with nothing but the clothes on his back, not even a weapon of any kind, even the most ridiculously useless kind. He had no army, no allies…no magic. He had nothing. He was nothing.

At least he had not stooped so low as to beg, instead, he had stolen what little he found in his possession by now after a few days in London. For this was the city the silvery disc with purple inlays had brought him to, however, he had no idea why. And the disc was of no use to him anymore, as it had crumbled to ashes after it had used the stored magic to cast the teleportation spell that had brought him here.

There had to be a reason, yet Loki had not found it. And by now, hungry and alone, unsure of everything, he doubted he would ever find that reason.

Passing a little bakery, he caught a whiff of the wares for sale, of fresh bread and sweet cakes. The delicious scent made his stomach rumble for he had not eaten in… a while, he was not even sure anymore. It had taken him days to admit that he was lost, so now he knew a shelter in which he could wash and sleep, but that was all. The clothes he wore at least were clean, but they were also stolen and not exactly his size, let alone to his taste.

It was maddening. And above all, the futility of it all. For days he had wandered through London, hoping to find the reason the disc had brought him here, and so far he had wound up with nothing but an empty belly, sore feet and a growing sense of despair.

Far up above his head, a raven cawed and Loki gave a violent start. Had Odin’s ravens succeeded in what Heimdall had apparently failed at, had they found him?

No, he decided with an irritated shake of the head, there was a whole murder of crows and none of them struck him as more than what they seemed to be, dumb animals.

Turning away from them, he looked up and estimated that it had to be past midday. Another day wasted and he had nothing to show of it. Angry, Loki turned a sharp corner, and almost bumped into a man in a suit.

“Oi, watch it!”, the man called and Loki glared at him. Immediately, the man’s anger gave way to insecurity and Loki smiled at him. Seeing the man’s confidence crumble before his eyes was the only fun Loki had had in days.

“It’s…alright, I guess. Move along.”, the man in the suit said impatiently, but Loki ignored him and went on. Until a sensation he had not expected made him stop dead in his tracks. Magic. Raw, pure and utterly devastatingly powerful magic. It was so close Loki could almost taste it on the tip of his tongue, but he felt it tingle through his mind, tickle all his senses. Whatever the source, he had to get closer, he had to have it!

Not hesitating for a second, Loki whirled around, looking for the source. Without conscious thought, his eyes fixed on the temple structure behind the fence he was standing at. How had he not seen this before, how?

His heart thumping in his chest, Loki searched for a gate and as he found it, he saw the man he had bumped into before walk through it. He followed and near the gate read the name of the building, “The British Museum”.

Could it be true? Could a museum accidentally display a powerful artefact?

A few passersby gave him incredulous looks, yet he ignored them all as he hurried towards the museum, only led by the call of magic in his blood. How could such a powerful thing be amidst so many people and not one of them felt it? Humans were weak and stupid, truly.

As he entered the building, the warm spring air fell behind him and gave way to a chill, demure atmosphere that for some reason made him smile. It took him a moment to realise that here he felt a bit like in the vast library of Asgard. This placed looked nothing like it, but the feel of it was the same, enhanced by the magic he now felt as pulses, almost like beats from a heart outside his body. The artefact, whatever it was, was calling out to something or someone.

Loki had no eyes for the art treasures left and right although he knew that if he had the time, he could immerse himself in the remains of old cultures, but he only followed the pulsating magic he felt. It led him to a set of double doors, heavy and closed, but he did not hesitate before opening them. At least he tried, but they were locked.

Cursing in his mind, Loki again whished for magic that would allow him to simply blast the doors off their hinges, yet he had none and these doors stood between him and the only magic he could hope to obtain in Midgard. He rattled the doors, but they remained firmly locked.

“Hey, mister!”, someone called, but he only belatedly understood that this person was talking to him, “Stop that, please. The exhibition isn’t open yet.”

“What?”, Loki muttered as he turned around to the security man standing next to him, one hand reassuringly stretched out to him, the other warily resting on the hilt of baton. The black man smiled at him as if he was dense, then indicated the banner above the set of doors and Loki read in catching lettering: Vikings.

Perplexed, he blinked and the security guard explained patiently: “Don’t worry, pal, it’s gonna open somewhere around next week. At least that’s when it’s scheduled.”

“Thank you…”, Loki mumbled absent-mindedly and trudged a few paces away from the doors before looking at the banner again. One more week? He could do that. But he was surely not inclined to what this long, there had to be a way past the guard and he would find it. First, however, he would need an impression of the ways around this museum, so he would calmly wait and observe. Humans had their own ways of spilling all their secrets and their guts along with them if one could only wait long enough for them to lose their confidence. So he would wait. And in the meantime, he would find their weaknesses.

Loki mingled with the other visitors of the museum and acted as if he was gazing at the exhibited pieces of Midgard history, but in fact he studied those who worked at the museum. He had soon learnt what to look for to find them and then it was easy.

The man in the suit he had met in the street was obviously someone rather important as he was bossing the security guard around. But he was not too important, as the jovial security man simply smiled at the suited man, yet shook his head and whistled a joyful tune as soon as suits had turned around.

“Hey, Hank.”, a cheerful voice, belonging to a petite and pretty blonde young girl, addressed the security guard and Loki watched the two of them chat, “Is Julian not in a good mood?”

“Miss, when is Mister Barrett ever in a good mood?”, Hank, the security guard jested and the girl giggled merrily. Quickly, Loki decided that she was too young and not serious enough to be in an important position. She was probably not much more than a cupbearer, seeing that she had two papery cups in her hands.

“Have you seen Abby?”, she asked the guard further, but Loki did not listen to their talk anymore, instead he watched the door to the still closed exhibition about Vikings. He heard a key turn in the lock and then saw the door opened. A woman with brown hair popped her head out, her glasses askew, and she quickly straightened them as she softly called: “Mary, I’m here.”

“Abby!”, the girl cheered and the other woman winced, but forcefully smiled nonetheless. Interesting. She was protective of the girl, yet insecure herself. This was easy to spot as her hair was pinned up in an almost painfully tight bun, but her figure was almost hidden under flowing silk in dark green and black. Her clothes were modest, a bit too proper as if she was trying to hide something. She was important, no doubt.

“Have you finished the paperwork I asked you to do?”, Abby enquired of the girl Mary and she blushed so vividly Loki could still see it in the reflection on the glass protecting a few clay fragments.

“Not yet…”, she bashfully answered and Abby took a deep breath before she surprisingly calmly stated, “Please do it right away. Those papers are important for the exhibition. I need this expert’s opinion on the purple Gem.”

Something… something in her words made Loki perk up his ears. Purple… Could she truly mean the counterpart to the disc that had brought him here, was that the reason he was in London? Was it the source of this powerful magic?

“Okey-dokey.”, Mary said and cheerfully hopped away. Abby looked at her back and shaking her head, she sighed: “Hank, what am I to do with an assistant who cannot do my paperwork?”

“Don’t ask me.”, the guard smiled, “I dunno why she was even hired. Girl’s too young to tie her own shoelaces!”

At this she laughed quietly, but immediately her expression changed and Loki recognised that look from his own face. Sadness.

“I will never get this exhibition open…”, Abby muttered, but Hank chimed in, “Sure thing you will, Doc. Who if not you?”

“Thank you.”, she smiled unconvinced, “That is too kind.”

“A simple truth. Gotta accept it.”, Hank offered and she shook her head with a sad smile. Loki followed her, for she was important to the museum, clearly, and moreover, she had the keys to the door behind which the Gem lay, the source of the magic he felt, he was sure of it.

Appearing to busy himself by scrutinising a bowl from the Stone Age, Loki’s eyes followed this Abby. All he had to do was take the keys off her and his way to the artefact would be wide open. Frowning, he looked for her keys on her, but could not find them. That was, until she reached a door and, to unlock it, slipped out a lanyard from under her blouse, the keys dangling merrily from the ring there.

Loki grimaced unhappily for it would not be easy to take such a lanyard off her. Which just meant that he was in for a challenge and he smiled as he walked up to the door she had vanished behind, curious where it would lead to. Next to it was plate, identifying it as the office of Abigail S. Goddard. It was a pretty name. And with a whimsical grin, Loki thought of a way to take those keys off her with her consent. If his success with the serving wenches in Asgard were any indication, it would almost be too easy.

He heard Abby shuffle about in her office and decided to observe her for a little longer. After all, every woman had the right to be properly seduced. Playing through a few scenarios in his mind, Loki smiled to himself and stepped away from the office to wait for Miss Goddard, knowing exactly what he would say to her. Success was guaranteed, every woman had a weakness for a gentle smile and an offered drink, Midgard would be no different in this.

When Abby reappeared from her office, a stack of papers in her arms, Loki approached her with a confident smile on his face… and was cut off by the annoying man in a suit who asked her: “Hey, Abbs, I’m off now. Wanna grab a cup of coffee?”

That was not true… that imbecile had beaten him to this? And why, he had to have his own keys, after all.

Grumbling, Loki watched Abby give a start and then freeze on the spot before she slowly managed to look around to her colleague, precariously balancing the stack of papers on her hips and holding on to them for dear life as she said with a hesitant smile: “I am sorry, Julian, but I am very busy, these papers…”

“Aren’t more important than your wellbeing.”, he interrupted and Abby puckered her lips the tiniest bit. Had Loki not watched her closely, he would not have realised it, but she did, yet Julian kept talking, a smug grin on his face as he came closer, inappropriately close: “So, I suggest we go out, just you and me.”

“Sorry, but I can’t, Julian, I really have to…”, she began, but again, he cut her off and muttered angrily: “Your loss.”

“Wait…!”, she called, actually concerned about that buffoon, a fact that had Loki wondering about her sanity, when her colleague shot her an angry glance and stalked past her, thereby knocking the stack of papers out of her hands.

“Oh no!”, Abby mumbled, but her colleague ignored her. Loki glared at the back of this arrogant idiot’s head, then hastened to Abby’s aid and helped her gather up her paperwork. When an invitation to a drink would not bring him any success with her, then a helping hand and a smile just might.

So Loki smiled at her as he handed her the stack of papers, but she barely looked at him before she practically pulled the papers out of his grasp and fled, muttering a quiet “Thank you”. Nothing more. She had not even looked at him!

She turned around, locked the door to her office again and simple as that left him standing there, dumbfounded. He had seen many women in his life, but none, not a single one, had simply left him like that, ignoring him completely.

For a moment, Loki was too baffled to think and when he did again, he grimaced. Taking those keys off her with her consent had just gotten a whole lot more difficult. No matter, he would also take them without her consent. He just needed a plan, yet for now, hungry and surprised, he could think of nothing.

Shaking his head, he watched Miss Goddard leave and Loki cocked his head trying to think against all odds. How could a woman be so insecure about herself, as she clearly was judging from her demeanour and her clothes in which she seemed to hide in, and yet have a clearly important position in a museum having an assistant of her own and even inspire confidence in her colleagues? And, on top of it, be so absolutely immune to his charm?

With a joyful chuckle, Loki suddenly realised that she was not immune… she was intimidated. Curious about this thought, he raised an eyebrow and smiled to himself. This would require a gentle, careful plan, but he had an idea what to do. After all, every woman had her weakness and someone as insecure as Abigail Goddard only needed a man to protect her to fall for him. For the reward of an artefact to bring back his magic, Loki could endure playing that act if he had to. The artefact would surely be worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

So for the next two days, Loki returned to the museum as soon as its doors were opened and he looked for a way to reach the artefact, whatever it was, but as soon as he espied Abby, he watched her instead. There was much to learn before he would try to approach her, for he was sure that he would only get one chance. If he scared her off then, she would be gone.

Then he would have to resort to his other plan, taking the keys off her by force. He had had his chance for that when she had been alone in her house that was much too roomy for one woman alone, but somehow, even though he wanted his magic back, he had refrained from it. Playing her would be more fun, he kept telling himself, but he had no magic and he despised this weakness. Yet, he found himself following again with no plan of overwhelming her as she went home.

Only this time, she took a different turn than the last two evenings and Loki was curious. Where was she going?

Abby crossed a busy street and then kept to smaller alleys, which still meant that they were far from narrow. Then and again she stole a glance over her shoulder, nervously biting her lip as she did so. At first, Loki was confused at her behaviour, then he chuckled to himself. Could it be that the good Doctor of Archaeology was hiding something?

Smiling to himself, Loki thought that this trip had just gotten more interesting, so he followed eagerly, yet tried to keep back so as not to attract attention to himself. He was surprised when Abby turned towards a park and never looked up to find her way as she seemed to know it by heart. Was he about to find her in a rendezvous? That would make things more complicated than he would like them, but now he was mostly curious.

Doing his best to appear as an innocent Londoner merely taking a stroll and nevertheless not to lose sight of Abby, he followed her through the park with its open structure and neatly kept lanes, wondering where she was headed. The walkways ahead were long, the whole park reminded him of the Gardens in Asgard with their vastness, yet this Midgardian replica lacked all of their beauty.

The shouted, cawed cry of a raven made Loki wince and out of reflex, he looked up to the raven that had called, fearing it might be Hugin or Munin searching for him. He did not spy the blasted creatures anywhere and as he focused on Abby again, he had to realise that she was gone.

Anger rose in him and he frantically looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. Loki knew that it was no matter, he would find her in the museum again by tomorrow morning, but he was still angry with himself. Who would ever know what opportunity, what vital information he had now let slip through his fingers out of sheer stupidity and idiotic fright? All in all, it was at least one more night at the shelter, one more day without his magic. Another day wasted.

Muttering curses at himself under his breath, Loki trod on through the park, not yet ready to admit his defeat for the day. His head bent low, he just followed the pathway under his feet, ignoring his surroundings in his gloom. It lightened when he smelled flowers and before he could get a clear hold of it, a thought flashed through his mind. Mother.

Shaking his head violently, Loki tried to suppress the thought of Frigga, she was dead and she had never been his mother anyway… but he could not stop thinking of her, not with the lovely scent of roses in his nostrils. Without realising, he had walked right next to a hedge of beautiful roses. None had the beauty Frigga had succeeded to create in her gardens, but this, the feeling, the scent was as close to Asgard as he could get.

Smiling despite himself, Loki approached the hedge of roses and as he entered the ring they formed, he was engulfed in a canopy of scent and beauty, roses were all around him and he was alone. It made his heart bleed as this reminded him of Frigga, of the only person that had ever cared for him, but she was gone, he had lost her without a chance of helping her, yet the scent nevertheless comforted him as no one apart from Frigga had ever done. In here he could admit defeat and not be ashamed of it for no one was there to see or to judge him deficient.

Loki inhaled deeply with closed eyes, revelling in the peace he found for a moment. When he looked around again, he found a park bench and sat down, gazing at all the roses of so many different colours. In the calmness of this haven he could think and would plan his next step.

Or he would have, had not in that very moment another person sat down next to him. Annoyed and ready to shoo off whoever there was, Loki turned towards them. And he was startled when he recognised Abby in an instant. Had she noticed him following her here and now come to confront him? No, that would afford more cunning than she could possible possess.

Taking a closer look at her, Loki saw her dark brown doe eyes for the first time up close and they were rimmed with tears. Sniffling quietly Abby stared off into the distance, too absorbed in her grief to even notice his presence. He could barely manage not to laugh aloud. A sad, insecure woman was all the more prone to succumb to a man offering her comfort and a gentle smile. Really, it would be too easy.

Despite his glee, Loki put on a mask of sympathising concern as he gently asked: “Miss, are you alright?”

Abby gave a violent start and gasped in fright, obviously she had really not seen him before.

“Yes, t-thank you.”, she stammered, clandestinely wiping away tears, “I am, ah, just… I am fine.”

“But you were crying.”, Loki answered, keeping up the air of concern and wishing he had a handkerchief with him for just the right dash of dramatic acting. She began an answer, almost squirming with discomfort, but then sighed with all the exhaustion Loki had seen piling up on her slender shoulders in the last two days. Good, that meant she would crumble soon under its weight and lean on him for comfort.

“It’s just…”, she mumbled, then gazed at the pink, velvety roses in front of her and whispered so quietly it could also have been the wind rustling in the leaves, “My mother passed away last week.”

All his glee about her tears making her more gullible was wiped away by those few words and he felt a pang of guilt, the bleeding of a wound not yet healed and opened by the scent of the roses.

“I…”, he began, but was speechless for a moment until he spoke from the heart, wearily, “I know what this means.”

Now Abby was startled and she stared at him out of big, unblinking doe eyes, before she cast them down again and sighed: “Thank you.”

Frowning, Loki wondered what he had done to help her, but she continued: “I do not have to tell you that this loss is hard enough as it is, almost too much to bear. I cannot take all the rest as well.”

While he had watched her in the museum, Loki had thought that she was simply stressed because of the exhibition she had to open next week, but now he realised that she was at the edge, she was desperate.

“What happened?”, he enquired and she began to speak, but then shook her head no, “I do not want to bother you with it…”

“You don’t.”, he said and smiled warmly, finding the acting of it all not as hard as he had thought it would be, “I don’t really have anywhere else to go, so you do not bother me, Miss.”

“Abby.”, she introduced herself and returned his smile. She was pretty, he had to give her that, but she hid it perfectly under her sadness and insecurity lest a man would spot her and be interested. As she waited for him to also introduce himself, Loki entertained the thought of giving her a false name, maybe Lucas, but then decided against it and replied, offering his hand: “Loki.”

She arched an eyebrow at that and he jested: “My parents chose the name, it was not my doing.”

She chuckled quietly at this, then nodded and said: “I can understand the ardour for Norse mythology, I share it. And it will be my undoing, I’m afraid.”

Loki knew she was referring to the exhibition and so decided to let her speak in her own time which she did after another heavy sigh: “See, I am a curator at the British museum and I assembled an exhibition about Vikings that is to open next week.”

“Interesting.”, he commented to keep her going and she smiled, she genuinely smiled without sadness this time as she enthusiastically said: “I know. Their culture is so interesting and more advanced than those movies would have you believe. They did not only make do with what they had, they made it excellent. Their cookery, their craftsmanship. It really is a shame that so little is preserved in writing, so many runes withered away…”

She stopped suddenly and chuckled to herself: “Forgive me, I can get pretty excited about Norse culture and mythology.”

“I gathered that.”, Loki winked at her and knew immediately that it had been too much for she retreated, averted her eyes and closed up like a clam before him. So much for subtlety.

“Anyway, I have the exhibition ready, we could open any day.”, she continued and Loki had to gather all his self restraint not to let her see his excitement, but she was too wrapped up in her tale anyway, “But, a colleague convinced my boss that such a “dry and boring” exhibition would never get us visitors. It’s not like we earn anything from the free admissions anyway, but… Well, my boss now insists I find something to make it more interesting, to “kick it up a notch”. And I am absolutely at my wits end.”

Before Loki could offer any comment, she added sadly: “If I don’t, I can go and look for a new job as I was made understood. Plus, I have to deal with Mom’s bequest and I will probably not be able to afford her house much longer, especially not as a curator on the dole.”

In fact, Loki was barely able to withhold his excitement. Not only was she desperate and needed help he had wanted to offer, no, she actually came to him for it. This was his chance, so all he had to do was find a solution for her dilemma.

“I… this isn’t your problem, I should not have bothered you.”, Abby suddenly apologised and tried to get up, but Loki stopped her with a hand on her arm. The way she winced and her head snapped around, he knew she was frightened, but he did not know was the reason for it.

“Forgive me.”, Loki asked and quickly let go off her, “You did not bother me.”

“You said so…”, she mumbled, sitting down again, but then shook her head, “Still, I shouldn’t. I should not have told you. Well, not anyone, I am sorry.”

“Don’t be.”, Loki objected and was glad she remained seated this time, “There is no need to apologise. You needed to tell someone. And I guess you used to discuss such matters with your mother. So now you need someone else to discuss them.”

“I do.”, Abby admitted sadly and then smiled crookedly, “And you… just happen to be here. That is incredible.”

“Why?”, he chuckled calmly, hoping she would not suspect him of what he was actually trying to do, trick her. And she did not, as she answered with a shy smile: “You are here when no one else is. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, usually I would never have told a stranger so much about me. I guess you have just got one of those faces.”

Loki raised an eyebrow, not comprehending what she was implying, so she added: “I don’t know, you just seem…trustworthy.”

Now he could do nothing more than stare at her and blink. He had heard much being said about him, he had been cursed and called names, but never, in all his lifetime, had anyone called him that and so Loki veered between astonishment, disgust at such foolishness and gloating. Despite it all he smiled and told her: “I am here, so tell me what concerns you. Maybe we can find a solution.”

And just as quickly as she had shed off her despair, she slipped into it again, dropped her head into her hands and mumbled: “I don’t think so. How can you make Vikings interesting for idiots like Julian, knowing nothing about them. Other than the incredulous stuff from bad movies.”

With that, Loki smiled and suggested: “Give them what they know from the movies.”

“What do you mean?”, she asked frowning, “Like…?”

“Give them a Viking.”, he shrugged, “No real Viking of course, they could be a bit hard to come by these days, but you could parade someone in leather armour before them. Make him growl at the crowd, put an axe into his hands and they will love him.”

For a moment, Abby stared at him, then snorted with laughter: “That’s brilliant!”

“If you say so.”, Loki joked smiling, but he could watch how her own smile faltered and died.

“What is it?”, he asked and he could not keep a hint of annoyance from his voice. She had liked his idea, why was it insufficient all of a sudden?

“That suggestion is brilliant and would solve me problems like this.”, Abby said and snipped her fingers before she sighed, “If and only if I happened to have an actor around.”

That was true, though Loki could not imagine that actors would be that hard to find.

“Every oaf can play a Viking as they are received nowadays.”, he shrugged and thought that even Thor would have been able to pull that off, “Just give some desperate actor a chance.”

“I don’t know…”, Abby muttered and Loki glared at her. He would not be able to help her and thereby himself to the artefact if she simply would not let him help.

“Moreover, I don’t want to depict Vikings like that!”, a sudden outburst of passion came from her, “The museum is there to teach people. If it can be made fun for them, all the better, but I will not alter the facts, not like that.”

“Maybe…”, Loki added as a truly mad idea struck him, “Maybe you will not have to.”

Abby looked him over and he smiled before he elaborated: “If you assembled the collection for the exhibition, I really do not have to tell you about Norse mythology. Vikings may be known now for their fighting and brute strength, but they had so much more, you said it yourself, craftsmanship, cookery. Why not give your visitors the joys of a show with an “actual Viking” and simultaneously introduce them to the finer arts of this culture. Like, let’s say… mockery.”

Abby smiled at this, understanding his allusion much more quickly than he had anticipated, but then she smiled wearily: “I do like that notion, but it puts me into the same predicament I already was in before. I do not have an actor.”

“No.”, he admitted, “You have, however, a Loki. Sitting next to you.”

Now her jaw dropped and all he could do was chuckle whole-heartedly to himself.

“You wouldn’t…would you?”, Abby gasped, “You can’t…I mean, you…? Are you an actor? And…would you really do that?”

By now she had him laughing and Loki cocked his head as he explained: “I am not an actor by profession, but I have a bit of experience in the field.”

“Still.”, Abby shook her head, “Why would you… why would you do that? Why would you do that for me?”

When she said that, Loki was speechless for a moment. The look in her eyes was so familiar as he had seen it often enough, too often in his own sad eyes. She felt alone and could not believe that anyone would do even the smallest thing for her…because she had been alone for too long, just as he had.

Shaking off that thought, he explained tensely: “Look, I am in quite the dilemma myself.”

So much was even true, yet what he added was so much seasoned with falsehoods so that he was willing to call it a straight-out lie: “My father, well, foster-father, actually kicked me out after the only mother I ever knew died. I have… no place to live, nowhere to go. I need something to live on, a job, and a place to live in as well, yet without a job this is hard to find.”

“I am so sorry.”, Abby murmured and it irritated him to no end. She was miserable, she was so desperate it was palpable in the air around her, and yet she pitied him?!

“Don’t be.”, Loki snapped, unable to bite back his anger, but as Abby winced, he apologised so as not to lose her, “Forgive me, please. It has been a few rough days.”

“Well, you know…”, she began shyly, “My mother left me the house. It is a bit big for me alone and there is a little flat in it where she used to have lodgers. If you want to…”

“I cannot accept this offer.”, Loki politely refused even though he had hoped for these very words. Abby shrugged shyly and continued: “I know it sounds insane. I don’t even know you, but… as I said, you just seem trustworthy. I need an actor for my exhibition, you need a job and lodgings. So we both win, I guess.”

“Well…”, he began and Abby nodded, “I insist. You will have your own key, your own rooms. We do not even have to meet at all. Apart from during the exhibition hours, that is.”

As she said those words, her smile faltered until she cast down her eyes. Even with the potential opportunity to attend to gulling her day and night when living with her, Loki was sure that her shyness would be a major obstacle. But, as he had thought before, he always liked a challenge.

“Thank you, then.”, he told her and got up, offering his hand to her to pull her to her feet, smiling at her when she accepted it, “You just got yourself a lodger and an actor. Let’s make the best of it.”

She returned his smile, yet in the oncoming dusk, Loki still saw her blush when she withdrew her hand.

“Let us indeed.”, she nodded and he grinned. The good doctor had absolutely no idea what she had gotten herself into, that was for sure. And Loki would relish in her shock when she realised the magic of the artefact she harboured in the museum and even more so when she would witness what he was able to do with such power.


	4. Chapter 4

The week Loki had by now spent as Abby’s lodger had taught him much about his quarry. She was insecure, that he had already known, but she was also stubborn. Afraid of the dark, which was almost too cute. She could get excited over Norse mythology, roses, good tea and cookies, but be as easily depressed by the merest hint at a slight insufficiency of herself.

He had walked the hallways of the museum with her and had witnessed far more than one lapse of her assistant, Mary, yet he had never seen Abby lose her temper or even a bit of her patience. Had she herself, however, made a mistake, she continued to beat herself up over it for hours.

So it was of no surprise to him that he had had to leave her in almost a nervous fit when he left her office to change for the opening of Abby’s Viking exhibition. Never had he guessed what her mother had left her in that big house of hers: An absolute treasure trove of disguises. He had not known that her mother had been a seamstress of theatre costumes and, moreover, had stashed a tremendous amount of her works away in the attic where Abby had found them. In there, they had together looked for an outfit to represent him and even though his attire was far from all he had had in Asgard, he had to admit that he was impressed with the quality of her work and its originality.

They had found a costume that would suffice and as Loki now changed into it for the exhibition, he found himself admiring the fine garment again. Checking his reflection for one last time in the small mirror in Mary’s little broom closet of an office, Loki smiled at himself and then went back to keep Abby from going insane. If she blew that first exhibition, his link to that magical artefact, whatever it was, would be cut and that possibility was simply unacceptable.

“Ready?”, he asked cheerfully when he returned to Abby’s office, but was met with a look of despair as she bit her quivering lip and muttered feebly, “I can’t do this…”

“You can.”, Loki sternly told her, but she shook her head and, fidgeting, clasping and unclasping her hands, walked through the office like an imprisoned cat, eager to flee. To stop her Loki forcefully grabbed a tight hold of her shaking hands and looking into her eyes, stressed every syllable as he repeated: “You can do this.”

“I don’t know…”, Abby whined and averted her eyes.

“Look at me!”, he snapped and she stared at him, so shocked she forgot her fright for a second, “We planned this. It is a good plan and it will work. Your exhibition will be a success.”

She sighed heavily and jerked back when the door opened suddenly. Of course it was Julian, having a disgusting, mocking sneer on his lip Loki would have liked would it not endanger his link to the artefact.

“Have you ever heard of knocking, Mister Barrett? It is a new concept, but effective.”, Loki politely, yet sarcastically told him, but Julian did not even so much as look at him.

“So you’re really going through with that farce?”, he shot at Abby, laughing in her face, “Way to get your sorry ass fired.”

“Julian…”, she began weekly and Loki glared at her, mouthing silently, “Defend yourself.”

The look she gave him was one of shocked disbelief and utter repulsion at the concept. This was another detail he had learned about Abby. She defended her useless assistant, yet she never stood up for herself against anything. He really did not understand that woman.

“Where did you find an idiot stupid enough to help you in that joke anyway?”, Julian continued and had thereby crossed a line.

“Why do you ask?”, Loki enquired and turned around to Abby’s colleague, “Are you in search for someone to tutor you in the basic skills like reading, writing… and knocking? Seeing that you cannot possibly be able to accomplish the mastery of these on your own.”

It was a pleasure to see Julian flush the bright red reserved for anger beyond words, so he stormed out of the office and Loki chuckled to himself. However, his smile faded when he turned around to Abby who mumbled in shock: “Why did you do that?”

“Why did you not do it?”, he countered and she shook her head, not understanding, so he rounded on her and added, “Why did you let that imbecile talk to you like that? He is beneath you so you should let him feel that!”

She shrunk under his rage and Loki added more calmly: “He really is not that clever, you can easily best him verbally. Just do it.”

“I… I can’t.”, Abby meekly protested, but Loki smirked, “Yes, you keep saying that, but have you ever tried?”

She blinked up at him, almost a head’s length smaller than he was and he added: “Well, you certainly will have to put your statement to the test now. The exhibition is about to open and so is your first guided tour. Our first tour.”

“Oh God…”, Abby muttered and looked at him, so Loki stopped her before she could repeat her words, “You can do it. And you will. Even if it’s just to prove the disbelievers wrong.”

At this she giggled nervously, but nodded and together they left the office. They both had their parts to play, so Loki turned around to hide and wait for his cue, but Abby stopped him by sincerely saying: “Thank you. And… I am glad to have you around for this. I am not a good tour guide, but you are definitely a worthy God of Mischief.”

Of course he was; he was the God of Mischief after all.

Abby flashed him a grateful smile before she turned around to meet the first few visitors to be attending her exhibition.

Having to wait for his performance, Loki kept back and watched her instead. She was hopelessly shy and insecure, that much was plain from the way she walked in her heels which she was obviously not so used to and from the quiver in her voice which he sensed more than he could actually hear it. Yet, after she had received the visitors and had proceeded to her lecture over the first piece of the exhibition, something changed in her, so visibly it was almost palpable even from a distance. She squared her shoulders and smiled confidently at the people in front of her…people that had filled her with mortal dread mere seconds ago. Yet now the confidence she was otherwise lacking made her stand tall and proud. Unbelievable.

“Don’t get your hopes up.”, Loki heard a sneer behind him and did not have to turn around to know that it was Julian, still puffed up and flushed, “She’s gonna blow it, blow it bad. And you will be out of here in no time.”

“Don’t hold your breath.”, Loki told him and flashed Julian a grin, “She cannot be that bad. After all, you are also still here and I am absolutely positive the museum does not keep you for your knowledge. Nor you looks.”

With that he left the pinstripe-suited fool where he stood and sneaked over to the display cabinet containing helmets in bad shape, just rotted leather really, but a few replicas as well. It was there he would make his entry and he just had a few more minutes to wait.

He casually leaned against the doorframe to the next part of the exhibition and watched Abby. It really was incredible. The insecure steps in those heels? Gone. She walked as sure-footedly as she did in her house barefoot. The nervous quiver in her voice? Vanished as if it had never even been there. Remarkable indeed.

“In this cabinet you can see helmets worn by Vikings in their battles. The leather is most certainly from an aurochs, an animal that has long since been extinct, unfortunately. The helmets…”

“Miss?”, a young boy interrupted her and Loki grimaced. Children, they never had any manners…

“Yes? Do you have a question?”, Abby enquired with a patience Loki would never have mustered for the boy who continued, “Didn’t Vikings have horned helmets? These must be wrong.”

She chuckled, but then explained: “There were a few horned helmets, true. But they were not for mere soldiers. The soldiers wore these simple helmets as they were practical and defensive, the horned helmets were reserved for the Jarls, the rulers in the Viking society, and they, too, wore it only at ceremonies. To impress.”

“Although, you have to admit, they mostly looked stupid in them.”, Loki chimed in and the little boy, a lad of ten at most, looked at him with his mouth hanging open, so he added, “Maybe they should have worn them into battle. Every foe is easily defeated once rolling on the floor and laughing themselves to tears.”

At this the boy laughed merrily, as did the other kids in the group of about 25 people and even some of the parents chuckled.

“E-excuse me? Who might you be?”, Abby asked and Loki was glad they had rehearsed this for the slightly revealing quiver in her voice was much less pronounced now than it had been in a few takes and the dress rehearsal before this premiere they were now having, and the quivering vanished almost completely as she added, “This is a guided tour, sir, I will have to ask you to leave.”

“I am Loki of Asgard.”, he growled, “I will not leave because some mortal tells me to.”

The children stared at him, their eyes wide, but as soon as one of the adults chuckled nervously, the spell was broken and the kids laughed as well.

“But…”, Abby objected, then gave in, “Fine. You can stay. But please be quiet.”

With these words she turned around and Loki made a disgruntled face she did not see, but the children did and, as the two of them had expected, they roared with laughter. Abby rounded on him, but he raised his hands in defeat and said mockingly: “Fine, I will be a well-behaved God of Mischief. You will not even notice me.”

“Somehow I doubt that.”, Abby countered with a smile and for a moment, Loki was baffled, because that was not in the script she had planned. He had been alright with winging the whole thing, Abby had insisted on planning it. And now she broke it. Well, he would play along and so they proceeded to the next room in which Abby had acquired a set of jewellery.

“Here you can see a necklace of silver brooches and glass beads. Mostly, glass was imported and then processed further into beads that were extremely valued by the Vikings of old. This necklace most probably belonged to a Jarl’s wife.”

“Or the Jarl himself.”, Loki threw in for which Abby shot him an angry glance he dismissed with a smirk. To his surprise, he could see a smile tug at her lips, but she turned around and explained the next bit.

Like this, they went through the whole exhibition, Abby explaining the findings of archaeologists over decades, Loki providing snide remarks and derisive jokes. Yet even though he truly meant some of them, like his comment about the inaccuracy of the depiction of dragons, the visitors took it all in good humour and laughed, especially the children. He had known that their plan of the exhibition would go well, yet he had not expected the children to love it all so much.

When the tour came to an end and their group reached the entrance to it again, Abby spoke to her visitors: “Thank you very much for coming today. I hope you enjoyed the tour despite the…uhm…”

At this, she glanced at Loki, who grinned and said: “The perfectly wonderful commentary generously offered by a God?”

The parents laughed a bit at this, so he added for the children, “Or the fact that I did not trip you?”

“That was…mean.”, Abby complained over the children’s roaring laughter but he merely shrugged, so she addressed the visitors again, “As I said, I hope you enjoyed the tour and the company. We would gladly see you again.”

The group in front of them clapped their hands and smiled. Loki had known they would be successful. He gestured at the boy who had asked the question about the helmets at the beginning and as the boy came to him – after a quick glance at his mother for permission – Loki told him: “Don’t forget: Every idiot can wield an axe, but it takes a clever man to make his words as effective as a weapon.”

The boy nodded with a bright smile and even though Loki was not sure he had really grasped his meaning, he returned the smile and then reached for the boy’s ear, mumbling: “Wait, you have something there… Aha!”

With that Loki produced a toffee from his sleeve he had snuck out of Mary’s office to eat later, but the boy somehow had impressed him. He may even have reminded him of himself.

Now the lad beamed up at him and then dashed to his mother, telling her what had happened as if she had not seen it herself. Abby smiled at them, but the boy’s mother made him go back and he shyly, yet with a broad grin said: “Thank you, Loki!”

With that, he was gone again and Loki found himself puzzled. He could not remember that ever in his living memory anyone had ever said those words with such joy, not to him.

As soon as the boy and his mother were gone, Abby gently nudged his elbow and told him: “That was kind of you. And a wonderful addition to the tour.”

“It was your tour, the laurels are all yours.”, Loki objected and she smiled gratefully, but then bit her lip nervously and sighed, “Let’s hope we convinced Julian and Doctor Seward…”

“Who cares about Julian?”, Loki shrugged, “Seward may be a grumpy old man, but he has a bit of humour. As long as he is happy with what we did, we’re fine.”

“You don’t understand.”, Abby objected, but he shook his head, “Then explain it to me later. After you convinced your boss of how astonishing you actually are.”

The beaming smile she gave him for that made telling the little lie all the easier.

“Alright.”, Abby mumbled with a hint of more confidence than before, “See you afterwards.”

“I will be here.”, Loki told her and watched her go, nodded at her as she glanced over her shoulder at him. As soon as she had vanished through a door, Loki returned to her office, then crossed to Mary’s to change back into his “normal” attire, black jeans and green T-shirt he had stolen somewhere, but at least in favourable colours.

“How did it go?!”, Mary’s high-pitched voice startled him and he could not help but give a violent start even though it was embarrassing.

“Well, I’d say.”, he told her and she nodded, her blue eyes sparkling with joy, “Abby did well, did she? She is so, so much better with people than she thinks. That one time, when…”

“Mary.”, he interrupted, but needed to call her name again and louder before she stopped, “Mary! I would like to change. Here.”

“Oh, go ahead.”, she nodded and Loki gave her an exasperated sigh, not willing to explain. To her luck, she caught his meaning before he had to and blushed a light shade of pink, mumbling: “Oh, sorry.”

Then she left and he was glad he was alone. It was… strange. While he changed back, he reminisced about the tour and his involvement in it, and somehow, strangely, he found that he liked those playful shenanigans. The little mocking jokes of this day had been nothing to the most boring pranks he had ever pulled in his time in Asgard, but… this time, someone had actually laughed because of his words and not at him. It was a curious train of thought and Loki abandoned it quickly. His only interest was the artefact, whatever it was, but he had not found it in the exhibition. Abby had not said a word about it and he had not asked. Why not? He did not even know.

And just as he tied his shoes, he found himself wishing Abby luck in the conversation with her boss. Why? He did not even dare to ask that question. Was he softening up to those mortals? Never…

Deciding not to think about it any longer than he absolutely had to, Loki left the small office, glad that Mary was nowhere to be seen, and then took position just outside of Doctor Seward’s office to wait for Abby. To kill time he looked at the items on display and more than once had to chuckle to himself. He had known that Viking culture had been far advanced compared to others of their time, but when he compared their achievements to even the crudest things in Asgard… then the Vikings suddenly seemed pathetic, despite Abby’s fascination with them.

Frowning at this thought, Loki shook his head and instead looked at a rune stone the museum had acquired. While effortlessly reading the praise to a fallen uncle on it, he wondered whether or not anyone had deciphered it when he suddenly wondered whether Abby had done this task.

Frowning again, he looked up when he heard a door creak open. It was Abby, coming out of Doctor Seward’s office.

For a moment Loki could not interpret the look in her eyes, but then he did not need to anymore. The brightest smile graced her lips and she leapt into the air with a quiet, yet joyous squeak. Seeing this serious woman do such a ridiculous thing made him chuckle, but what she did next surprised him infinitely.

Her heels clicking on the floor, she ran towards him, still smiling brightly and cried happily: “He loved it!”

Before Loki was able to reply, Abby smiled up at him and then, unexpectedly, threw her arms around his neck, hugging him.

He found himself speechless and motionless for a moment before he barely managed to put his arms around her, not exactly sure why he did that, why he wanted to do it. All the thought he was capable of was that never, in all his lifetime, had anyone ever looked at him like that. No one had ever smiled at him as if there had been no one else in the world and he had most certainly never been embraced like that. Never…

“Oh, sorry…!”, Abby muttered bashfully and blushed, “I… I didn’t… Well. I did want to, but…”

“It’s alright.”, Loki reassured her although he had no idea whatsoever what exactly he thought about this…or why his voice felt so choked.

“Okay.”, she breathed and then nodded towards the exit, “Let’s go? We can plan ahead for the next tour, maybe change a few things.”

Smiling to himself, Loki thought that she had taken a shine to this game.

“By all means.”, he nodded, but she interrupted them both as she handed him an envelope, “Oh, I almost forgot. Here, your pay for today. Doctor Seward liked your performance so much and I told him you are in kind of a dire spot, so he decided to give you some advanced money.”

“Thank you.”, Loki said and pocketed the money without looking at it. His pay would make life on Midgard easier until he managed to acquire the artefact. And, as he thought when he left the museum together with Abby, the little tours they gave might even be able to make the wait a bit of fun.


	5. Chapter 5

Trying his best to look fully occupied with the leaflet Abby had given him to learn more about some other exhibitions the British Museum had going so he could “enhance” those as well with his acting, Loki sat there in her office and perked up his ears. Three…two…one.

“Loki!”, came the accusatory sigh from the desk behind him where she kept her tea kettle, “Where did you put my mug again?”

“Oh, you mean Julian?”, he asked, turning around to her with an innocent smile on his lips, referring to the ambiguity of the word, “I thought he was in his office. And since when is he your idiot? Is there something you haven’t told me?”

The glare Abby gave him for this made it very difficult not to crack up and laugh himself breathless immediately. He lost that fight for good when Abby rolled her eyes and then began to chuckle to herself before breaking into an honest laugh which Loki joined gladly. It was fun to see his little pranks appreciated and so far, she was the only one who ever had.

“Oh you…”, Abby muttered and then reached out with her hand, “So, come on, give it up, you’ve been busted. Where is my mug? My cup. My chalice, if you so will.”

Smirking, Loki got up and towered over her. It was good to see her respond to his teasing in the same, albeit clumsy, fashion, but it was even better to see her not shrink away under his gaze.

“Your chalice, M’lady, is hidden. You will have to embark on a perilous, laborious quest to retrieve it safely.”

“I get the notion that with you, nothing is ever easy…”, Abby dead-panned, “Nor safe for that matter.”

“Probably not.”, Loki allowed and smiled, “But rest assured, you will not have to chase dragons. Merely…paper.”

“Paper?”, Abby asked and then smiled brightly, “A paper chase?”

As he nodded, Abby’s smile even brightened and Loki could not help but return that smile; it was so much fun to tease her because Abby, surprisingly, did not resent him for it. At least she had not until now, but after a few teasing comments, Loki was sure he would get away with pretty much anything as long as it was done in good humour. So he was willing to try.

“Where do we begin?”, Abby asked and Loki glanced at the watch, estimating that she had about half an hour before the special guest of today would arrive. That Abby did not care about that important sponsor anymore told him more than anything how much he had been right with supposing she would love a good scavenger hunt through her office.

“Hmm…”, he hummed mystically just to make her wait, but then as she got fidgety with excitement, Loki admitted, “I am sorry, but I lied.”

Her face fell; it was priceless.

“But…”, she mumbled, so he cut in with a grin, “You may have to find a dragon after all.”

Now she blinked up at him, clearly unsure what he meant, so he theatrically thought about his words, scratching his chin, and then muttered, as if unsure himself: “Or was it the dragon hunter you had to hunt down…?”

Abby was still staring at him, but then her gaze shifted and Loki knew she was onto his cue. Smiling, he watched her ponder over his words, before she surprisingly quickly grinned and dashed over to her bookshelf, pulling out the book about saints of the Catholic Church. Dead on target.

“Where is he…?”, she muttered and then squeaked triumphantly as she plucked that paper sheet from between the pages dedicated to St. George, the dragonslayer, where Loki had put the next clue.

Abby flashed him a grin, put the book back as mannerly as Loki had expected her to, and only then did she unfold the little sheet of paper he had prepared an hour ago instead of reading the leaflet.

“Tea.”, she read aloud, frowning, and then looked up at him expectantly, “Tell me more.”

Loki took a light bow and then recited from memory: “It is a little precious thing; more often white than not; though I’m never sure just what I mean for a misleading name it got.”

It was interesting to watch Abby process these words. At first she frowned, then she recited them under her breath – correctly, to his surprise – while tapping her nose in thought. When she had an idea what he meant, she started looking around and as soon as she found the little white porcelain kettle she kept in her cupboard as a keepsake, she smiled brightly.

“China.”, she chuckled as she opened the cupboard and then lifted the little lid of the kettle, “Very clever.”

“Thank you.”, Loki nodded at her and watched her unfold the next hint, with which she again had to turn to him, “Jet?”

Without another word of explanation, Loki recited another short verse: “Sometimes it’s badly tangled, sometimes delicate; mostly it is tended to, just not so if it’s not. It is no bird’s nest as nothing has bred of yet; but every day it really is fussed over quite a lot.”

Abby smiled at the rhyme, but when she understood its meaning, she scrunched up her face.

“Do I really do that?”, she asked and Loki replied innocently, not willing to give the solution away, “Do what?”

“Oh, you know.”, Abby muttered and felt the tight bun of her hair in which Loki had hid the next piece of paper, “Fuss over my hair?”

“Oh no, absolutely not.”, he reassured her, but she immediately knew the sarcastic exaggeration and sniggered quietly, “Guilty as charged, I supposed.”

She removed the jet-black hair clip and for once, Loki had hoped to see her long, brown hair down, but no, she held it up with one hand, clipped the slide to her blouse – a dark green thing that hid her shape entirely – and then searched the mop of hair with her now free hand.

“Ha!”, she cried victorious as she plucked a piece of paper from in between dark strands of hair she clipped in place again, then she stared at him and asked, “How on earth did you even do that?!”

“Magic.”, Loki joked with a grin, but it soon faltered. For days he had not thought about his lost magic, he had completely forgotten it. He had never thought that possible.

“Loki…?”, Abby murmured in concern, he could clearly see that…and somehow it disturbed him again. She did not know him, he was using her…and she was concerned about his feelings? Ludicrous that was.

“Where is it?”, an angry voice interrupted and they both whirled around to the door. There stood Julian, again all puffed and red in the face with anger as he repeated his words, “Where is it?”

“Julian, what is wrong?”, Abby enquired in honest confusion, every fool could see that, but Julian rounded on her and furiously demanded, “My correspondence with the expert in Greenwich. I made the mistake of telling you about it, so where is it?”

“Was it mail?”, Loki asked matter-of-factly, “If so, maybe you haven’t gotten your mail and it is still there.”

“Nonsense!”, Julian added furiously and Abby said, “I am truly sorry, but…”

Loki glared at her for that and ever so slightly shook his head, mouthing, “No. You didn’t do it.”

“If I find it in your office…”, Julian threatened and approached her desk, ready to search it thoroughly. Abby looked at him, stricken, but Loki waited for another moment. She had to defend herself…

“Julian…”, she pleaded meekly when he started sifting through her mail, which of course did not stop him. So Loki intervened: “Abby did not take it, I am sure of it. You may not think my word reliable, but there, you have it. Go check your mail. Maybe you merely forgot the letter or whatever you are waiting for.”

Julian stared at him, his eyes ablaze. Never had Loki found him more disgusting than in that very moment, when he leered at Abby and told her: “This will have consequences.”

“Yes.”, Loki allowed and Julian now stared at him, “If I tell Doctor Seward that you threatened and mistreated a respected colleague as Doctor Goddard here, I am sure it will have consequences you might not enjoy as much as you think you would.”

Julian growled, but left without another word. As soon as he was gone, Abby breathed: “Oh God…why?”

“He is an imbecile.”, Loki hissed angrily, but then smirked at Abby, “A mug. As I told you.”

She laughed at that and went over to him, gently touching his arm as she said: “Thank you for your help.”

“Gladly.”, Loki found himself saying, surprising himself with the fact that it was not a lie and that he somewhat cared for her answer when he asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yes, just a bit… upset, that is all.”, Abby reassured him, “How about you?”

Just like that, they were back to her caring for him, without even knowing he missed his magic… without even knowing he had ever possessed magic in the first place.

“Of course I am.”, he stated, slipping on a mask of indifference against magic and of joyful tease with the paper chase, “But I will not tell you how I put that piece of paper in your bun. I will not give up my secret weapon against you.”

“Secret weapon. Seriously?”, Abby enquired and he knew that she had seen right through his attempt at distraction, yet he tried again and prompted, “What does it say?”

“As if you didn’t know…”, she smirked, but unfolded it nonetheless and read right next to him, “Stash.”

Expectantly, she looked up at him and with a grin, Loki supplied: “I am but a little thing, not much thought of most the time; just wait for your craving, then your attention is all mine.”

It took her practically no time at all to figure this one out. Giving him an indignant and crooked grin, Abby sat down in her chair and bent down to the lowest drawer of her desk, and pulled it open. Amidst the stash of chocolate she hoarded there lay her tea cup. She picked it up, smiled at Loki and tossed him a piece of chocolate wrapped in bright paper.

“Thank you.”, he said, but she shook her head and laughed happily, “Oh no, thank you! That really was fun.”

Pouring her tea from the kettle, Abby too munched on her piece of chocolate as they heard faint muttering from the hallway: “I swear I got it yesterday…”

Loki glanced out of the room and grinned brightly.

“What is it?”, Abby wanted to know and he shrugged, “Oh, only Julian. He just found the missing letter in his mail even though he is quite sure that he had collected it yesterday.”

“Strange.”, she wondered, but Loki added dryly, “Not so much if you consider that I took it from his desk this morning and put it back in the mail. Just to mess with his head.”

“Why?!”, Abby asked, seriously aghast and Loki shrugged again, offering merely, “For fun?”

“This is not fun.”, she objected, but Loki countered, “Why not? I hid your cup and you found it funny. Fun was had.”

“But…this is Julian!”, she hissed so as not to be overheard, but he shook his head in disbelief, “So? He has no sense of humour whatsoever, but a sense of superiority he never earned. Somebody has to sort that imbecile out.”

“But…”, Abby protested weakly, however, Loki interrupted, “No, no but. Abby, he is insufferable. He is angry for no reason at all, vain beyond belief and tries to humble everyone into the darkest caves. You, for some reason, do not fight back whenever he comes at you, but I will not stand idly by and let him hurt you.”

After this speech Loki had not planned, Abby blinked at him disbelieving and he swallowed hard himself, not able to believe he had actually said that. Even more, meant it. So he added frivolously: “Besides, it was much fun. I think I will make it my goal to drive him insane.”

“You…! You can’t.”, Abby muttered, but Loki flashed her a grim grin, “Really? And who would stop me?”

She opened her mouth to object, but stopped before she had a single word out.

“I thought so.”, Loki growled, but she almost interrupted him, “I will.”

For a moment, they stared at each other and a whole lot of questions shot through Loki’s mind. The only one he asked, as it was apparently the most important one, was: “Why?”

Abby nervously bit her lip and in shock Loki had his answer. She had feelings for Julian. Shaking his head in confusion, he reeled back from that thought. It simply was not possible!

“Because…”, Abby began and then licked her lips, again nervous and fidgeting for words, “Because it is not right to do that.”

“But…”, Loki muttered, now he being the one at a loss for words, “But you despise him. He takes everything out on you, no matter whether it has even the slightest bit to do with you or not. He is angry at you because he wants you and you keep turning him down. He…”

Loki stopped when he saw the appalled stare in her eyes and he scoffed: “Don’t act as if you had not known. He desires you and cannot live with that fact that you turned him down time and time again, with the fact that you are too smart for him, too independent. Don’t tell me you did not know that!”

“I…did.”, Abby admitted, looking everywhere but at him, before she turned to him again, her eyes pleading, “But I tried my best to ignore it. I mean… I would never…!”

He was glad to hear these words, for whatever reason, yet Loki shot his next words at her, his voice a mix of disbelief and reproach: “And yet you defend him. He accuses you of the most ridiculous things, things you would never do just because he is angry at you, but you keep defending him. Why?”

“I don’t know!”, Abby cringed, “I just do. He is…mean and… all the things you said about him, but still, I do not like the thought of harming him on purpose.”

“He does not seem to have a problem with this thought.”, Loki countered, “As long as the harm is directed at you.”

She sighed and nodded before he quietly added: “I, however, do have problem with that and a serious one on top of that. He will stay away from you and if he does not learn that the easy way, he will have to learn the hard way.”

Loki simply refused to reflect on whatever reason he had for making such a promise, he simply left it at that. Abby blinked heavily, then she smiled slowly and just when she spoke did Loki realise that she was close to tears as she said: “Thank you.”

Now he frowned, not able to comprehend the turn in her opinion.

“Abby…?”, he began, but she covertly wiped away a tear that had threatened to spill and said, “Do not torture him, alright? I may not like him, but he does work here, you know? He is still a colleague.”

“And just by that he deserves loyalty?”, Loki scoffed indignantly, but Abby nodded, simply stating, “Yes.”

“I cannot believe it…”, he muttered, but did not push the issue; he would never grasp the notion some people had of loyalty, it was a concept that never added up.

A quiet knock on the open door startled Abby and admittedly also Loki and they both looked around to find Doctor Seward, a small and haggard old man in a tweed suit in the doorway to Abby’s office.

“Miss Goddard.”, her boss softly said in the low and wheezy voice of the old man he was, “Our guest has arrived. Please show Mister Tivan around, will you?”

“Yes, of course.”, Abby nodded all professional guide again, no trace of a choked voice was left as she turned to Loki, motioned him to follow and then turned to Doctor Seward again, “Anything Mister Tivan is especially interested in or should I give our guest the general tour?”

“Oh no.”, Doctor Seward disagreed, “Our guest has been a generous sponsor of our various projects, so something special is in order. We will show him the Gem.”

“Sure.”, Abby said, but Loki barely heard her. After so many days, he would finally have access to the artefact whose magic he had sensed as soon as he had come into the vicinity of it. Finally he would learn what it truly was and he could scarcely wait for it as he followed Abby out of her office.


	6. Chapter 6

“Here is our expert on Viking culture, Mister Tivan.”, Doctor Seward called to the man that Loki guessed was the Museum’s sponsor and guest of today. Mister Tivan turned around to them and smiled at Abby, who greeted him: “It is so nice to meet you after I have heard so much about you.”

“Only good things, I presume.”, Mister Tivan jested and smiled as he took Abby’s hand, but instead of shaking it, he placed a tender and very old-fashioned kiss on the back of her hand.

In the very instant Mister Tivan looked at Abby again, Loki decided that he did not like him. He had the white, thin hair of an old man, but looked far too young for the appearance of his hair. His eyes, however… the expression in those dark depths spoke of ancient times and of age Odin Allfather himself had not seen. When those dark eyes focused on him, an inexplicable, cold shiver ran down Loki’s spine and something was wrong, he could feel it, but he failed to place it exactly.

“It truly is a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Goddard, as I have only heard the best about you from Doctor Seward.”, this odd guest spoke and returned his gaze to Abby who smiled shyly, clearly uncomfortable with the praise as she replied, “Thank you, you are too kind. If you allow me, I will show you around, reveal the hidden secrets of our museum.”

“That would be wonderful.”, Mister Tivan nodded with a gracious smile, but then turned to Loki and outstretched his hand, “We have not been introduced. My name is Tivan, I have recently discovered the various, very interesting projects and have decided to support this important task. Knowledge is power, yet so sparse nowadays. Whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?”

“This is Loki.”, Abby genially provided before he could stop her, so all he could do was grind his teeth. He had not wanted this person, whoever he was, to know his name.

“Oh.”, Mister Tivan made softly and then smiled just the faintest hint of a smirk, but it unnerved Loki more than he cared to admit to himself.

“My parents had an uncanny fondness of Norse culture.”, he spoke, careful to keep his lowly bubbling anger and aversion out of his words, “Hence the name. I assist Doctor Goddard in her Viking exhibition.”

“And marvellously so.”, Abby added with a smile, having no problem handing out praise, “I have not, to this day, succeeded in making a tour so interesting for adults and children alike, but with Loki it…came naturally.”

This was the first time ever he heard something like that from her and it surprised him, so Loki made a mental note to tease her with this later, when they would have dinner in her kitchen as they had made it a habit since he had become her lodger.

“Interesting, how so?”, their guest enquired and Abby proceeded to tell him, but simultaneously pointed onwards to begin their tour.

“I will leave you at this. Mister Tivan, I hope you will join me later for supper?”, Doctor Seward asked, to which he received the answer, “Of course, gladly.”

And with this, Doctor Seward took his leave and Abby continued her account of how she and Loki now led the guided tours together and how she was planning to expand this idea to other exhibitions as well. Loki, however, was only half listening and instead wondering what it was about this sponsor Mister Tivan that unnerved him so much, set him on edge without any reason he was able to grasp. It was… a strange tingling in the back of his mind he could not quite place. And over it all, he felt the presence of the artefact, the Gem Abby was about to show Mister Tivan.

“So you acquired the exhibits for this Viking show all by yourself?”, he asked and Abby attenuated this with a polite chuckle, “By no means. I did choose them myself, yes, but my assistant handles most of my correspondence. And of course I had to get Doctor Seward’s leave to spend the price asked for acquisition of some of the rarer pieces of this exhibition. And some things were already in our archives, just waiting to be found. I am still not through it all.”

“Still.”, Mister Tivan said thoughtfully, “They selection you acquired suggests a keen eye for details.”

“Thank you.”, Abby mumbled bashfully and Loki saw her blush at the compliment. Despite his uneasiness, he had to smile. That woman would never learn to simply accept a compliment, he was sure of that much. As sure as he was of the fact that her assistant, Mary, had been supposed to handle her correspondence, but that in the end Abby had done most of the work herself.

“Oh, there she is. Mary, come, I want you to meet Mister Tivan, a generous sponsor.”, Abby called as the young girl emerged from Julian’s office who was, thankfully, nowhere in evidence.

“Hi.”, Mary cheerfully called and, as Mister Tivan greeted her, too, with an old-fashioned kiss on the back of her hand, the pale blonde blushed so heavily Loki had not thought her capable of it.

“A pleasure to meet you.”, Mister Tivan said, but Mary was obviously overextended as she simply stuttered, “Uh, yeah, you too…uhm.”

“Would you please fetch my notes on the Gem?”, Abby sent her away, “I may need some of them.”

“Sure!”, Mary called, waved at all of them and was palpably glad to get away, a notion Loki could emphasize with, yet he still did not understand.

“Let me show you through the exhibition a little more until Mary returns.”, Abby suggested to her guest, “Then we will proceed to the Gem, the truly most mystical find I have ever met in my career.”

“By all means. This sounds very interesting.”, he replied and Loki could not help but hear a little too much fascination with the Gem, whatever it was. He, too, was too fascinated with it, but at least he knew the reason; it was magical, his chance to regain his powers. What was Mister Tivan’s reason? Pure curiosity? He doubted that. Strongly.

So while Abby showed her guest around, Loki racked his brain for a reason why this old seeming and yet also young seeming person might be interested in a clearly magical artefact, but he found no solution to this conundrum. And he was spared a continued effort when Mary returned with Doctor Seward, yet without the papers Abby had requested.

She raised an eyebrow in slight disappointment Loki was not sure anyone but him had noticed when Mary joyously announced: “I met Doctor Seward on the way to my office!”

“You mean my office…”, Abby grumbled so faintly Loki barely heard it, but she smiled and asked, “Have you changed your mind, Sir?”

“I have.”, her boss said amiably, “I would like to see the Gem as well and hear your opinion of it.”

“Surely.”, Abby nodded and pointed into the direction of the doors to proceed, but when she turned around to lead their way, Loki saw her scrunch up her face. A quick glance told him that Doctor Seward and Mister Tivan were engaged in conversation to which Mary was listening intently, yet she was obviously clueless about its content.

“What is wrong?”, Loki asked of Abby, leaning close to her so as to keep his words whispered. She sighed unhappily and then admitted quietly: “I have absolutely no idea what that Gem is. It is… strange, it contradicts a few theories and accepted facts about the Vikings. It was found in an old Viking village in Denmark and it clearly is important, but I don’t know to whom. Don’t know where it is from, what it symbolises. I don’t know anything!”

This last word she hissed, but kept otherwise calm. The prospect she had just revealed troubled Loki, but just a bit before it exhilarated him. If she had no idea about its purpose or origin, it only pointed to his theory that it was not from Midgard to begin with. So it could be as powerful as the Tesseract itself and without his magic, he had no means of knowing it for sure. This was splendid!

He carefully wiped away the grin that was trying to spread on his lips so as not to let her see his excitement. A moment later, this effort was not necessary anymore as his logical thought caught up with his exhilaration. If the Gem truly was more than a mere artefact from Midgard, as its power and strangeness suggested, then why was Mister Tivan so interested in it?

Loki threw this sponsor a quick glance over his shoulder and found the man staring at him. He looked away again, but whatever uncanny feeling he had had before, it was now enhanced many times over.

“Here we are.”, Abby announced with a whimsical sigh as they reached the doors behind which Loki knew and felt the artefact. She fumbled with the keys on her lanyard and for a moment he got a better view of her neckline than he had ever had before, but even though he would have enjoyed such a sight at any other given time, right now he had to try and calm down so anxious was he to find out the truth behind the mystery of this purple Gem Abby had no data about.

Ridiculously enough, Loki half expected some blast of magical energy when the doors swung open to admit them, but they simply opened with an anticlimactic creaking of the hinges. Doctor Seward took the lead and Loki, trying to reassure Abby with a smile and utterly failing at it, held the door open for her and waited until she had locked them again before looking around. When he did, he could not help but smile.

This… was the essence of Abby, he knew it with a certainty that surprised him by the sheer fact that it did not surprise him. In the cool room they had entered, all around them, shelves were propped up and contained a wide variety of specimen from so many cultures and epochs Loki would have had to guess for the most part. Some were covered with dust, some protectively wrapped in paper and all of them were accurately labelled.

“Why have you never shown me this before?”, he asked, not able to keep a note of accusation out of his voice and Abby caught it as she apologised, “I couldn’t. Loki, this is the inner sanctum of our museum. The pieces you see here are worth… I do not even want to think about their price, let alone their importance.”

“They are utterly priceless.”, Mister Tivan smiled generously and Abby nodded as she returned it, “They are, all of them.”

The fondness in her gaze as she let her eyes sweep over the items on the shelves spoke volumes and put a beautiful shine into her eyes.

“But, naturally, the most prized possession is hidden.”, Doctor Seward interjected, a slight hint of urge in his voice, but Abby failed to hear it, so engrossed was she in the beauty of the artefacts all around her.

“I am half surprised you did not hire another security guard solely for the Gem.”, Loki jested with a smirk, but he also glanced at Abby next to him to prompt her. At first when her gaze flew to him, she blinked in confusion, but then picked up his joke, teasing: “As we haven’t reached the Gem just yet, who is to say there is no secret assassin watching over it?”

Loki chuckled to himself and it took him a moment to realise that both Doctor Seward and Mary were staring at Abby in utter disbelief. Mister Tivan had one white eyebrow quirked in curiosity, but then laughed amiably: “Clever, beautiful and witty. My good Doctor, you have made quite the catch when you hired Miss Goddard.”

As he said that, Abby giggled nervously and managed to stutter: “L-let’s proceed to the Gem then, shall we?”

She sighed almost silently, but the way the tension slipped out of her shoulders and instead the bright red of shame adorned her cheeks was all too visible, so it made Loki smirk. She saw it and glared at him, but then returned the smile and for a moment, the Gem was forgotten. Right until Doctor Seward announced: “Now, Miss Goddard, if you’d be so kind.”

“Sure.”, Abby said, awkwardly clearing her throat and then stepped forward to unlock yet another door. To his utter shame and disbelief, Loki lost track of her keys and could not say which would unlock this door. Then she also had to type a string of digits into a keypad and he had no idea about those, either. He just knew that it was a long, very long code. And with a glance at the tight bun on the back of Abby’s head, he was glad he had decided for the way of a trickster instead of a thief when he had refrained from merely stealing the keys. They would not have gotten him anywhere near the Gem, the woman herself, however, could.

When Abby had sunk her keys back into the depth of her loose blouse, she pulled the heavy door open with a groan of effort and without conscious thought Loki reached out and helped her. Although, as he saw the door, he almost lost his grip again. It was a bloody vault! The door was almost as thick as his forearm was long.

“You have to hide some dark secrets in here…”, Loki muttered and Abby chuckled nervously, but kept her voice carefully under her breath, so that he could barely make out her reply, “You have no idea…”

It was a joke, he knew that all too well, but when they entered the dark, musty vault, Loki could not help but feel a sense of darkness wash over him. Something in here was powerful…and it was dangerous.

“Please stay back.”, Abby said, “The vault is quite narrow, no need to squeeze more than one in there.”

He had heard her, but Loki ignored her words and accompanied her when the others stayed back.

“I am not likely to get lost in here.”, she giggled, but all Loki managed was a meek, “I’d think so.”

The magic in this tight spot was almost overwhelming and he felt the Gem before he saw it, knew exactly where it was and felt the pulse of its power like a living, beating heart, yet in a wholly different rhythm. Slower, weaker, but stubborn.

“There it is.”, Abby mumbled and carefully took a heavy leaden box from a shelf, explaining over her shoulder, “We made sure that there is no radiation, but one can never be too sure. Better safe than sorry.”

Saying no more, she turned around, the box tightly held in her grip as she exited the vault again, Loki right behind her and feeling the Gem’s pulse as a tugging at his mind. Whatever it was, it was incredibly powerful, even though it was weakened considerably. And although Loki had waited anxiously for the right opportunity to see the Gem, to get his hands on this source of magic in a world so utterly bereft of magic… now, so close to it, he found himself reluctant to spend even another second in the same room with that thing.

Frowning deeply and racking his brain why, oh why he had such a bad feeling, such a horrible sense of familiarity with the faint tugging at his mind, he followed Abby out of the vault and watched her place the box on an examination table. The box landed there with a faint clang that nevertheless made Loki wince. He had to use all his self-restraint not to back off, but instead he edged closer to Abby, just as Mister Tivan did in the same moment. Again he found himself disliking the other man for no reason he could rationally state.

Abby opened the lid of the box and when Loki saw the first faint glimmer of purple light, he knew with utmost certainty why he had wanted to flee from the Gem. No, not again…!

“There it is.”, Abby told them, smiling and so utterly unaware of the danger she was in, “We found it in Denmark, but unfortunately, we cannot link it to any tradition of the region, it is as if it…had somehow appeared and…Ouch!”

Without realising it, Loki had grabbed a tight hold of her arm and was trying to pull Abby away from the blasted thing. It was an Infinity Gem, just like the Tesseract, it was as powerful and as unbelievably dangerous. He was not innocent of the crimes Odin had charged him with, but neither was the Tesseract, part of his actions had been fuelled by that blue Gem and now he saw its purple sibling. They had to get away.

“Loki, what is wrong?”, Abby asked, trying to tug her hand away from him, but he did not let her go. Neither did he know what in the Nine Realms to say, but yet he tried to, being utterly unable to form words. All of a sudden, the glowing light the Gem emitted intensified and the raw magical energy hit Loki’s mind with a force that almost made him topple over.

“Loki!”, Abby cried out in concern, but she spun around when she, like all the others, heard a faint rustling that became quickly louder. Shaking, all the shelves in the room were shaking…

“Mary, secure the shards!”, Abby ordered and pointed into a direction Loki did not see through his blurred vision and the pain and utter breathlessness the Gem forced upon him. Doctor Seward rushed away to help Mary and muttered something about: “Earthquakes in London…”

At this, Loki chuckled faintly, hysterically even, but stopped abruptly when he caught a glimpse of Mister Tivan. He just stood there, entirely unfazed from the clangour of priced finds around him, untouched by the agitation of Abby and her colleagues. No, he actually smiled and this, more than anything, made Loki dislike the man.

“What is this?”, Abby muttered, holding Loki upright as he stood there panting and trying to get a hold of his assailed senses. Her next question was directed at him and full of concern: “Are you alright?”

He was not, but now was not the time to discuss that.

“Get out…”, he ground out between clenched teeth, “Get…away from that thing.”

“But…?”, she asked, yet as he shook his head, she did not object, but instead helped him a few steps away.

“No…”, Loki whispered, but his voice was drowned by Abby’s as she cried, “Mister Tivan, we have to get out.”

As he had expected, their guest did not move, but reached for the Gem. He pulled back quickly when the glow again intensified and now Loki’s knees did give in, but he relied on Abby for support and managed, just barely, to remain standing. He had to do something.

Mister Tivan again reached for the Gem and this time, Loki acted. Without thought, he yanked the sponsor’s hand away from the box, even though he was standing quite some distance away from him. With another blow of magic, he forced the box away from Mister Tivan and with a strain of effort, snapped the leaden box tightly shut.

Just like that, as if a spell had been broken, the clangour and shaking of the entire room ended. The Gem was contained again. For now, but Loki had no illusions and knew that it would gain strength and sooner or later would not be stopped by that meek box.

“This was…unexpected.”, Doctor Seward muttered, “I will need a good tea now. With Gin, preferably.”

“Do that, Sir.”, Abby nodded, but kept her eyes on Loki before she, clearly reluctantly, turned to their guest, “I am deeply sorry, Mister Tivan, but we have to ask you to leave. This matter…we need to record the damage done by this…earthquake.”

“Certainly.”, their guest said amiably and bowed to her, but before he left with Doctor Seward and Mary in tow, he glanced back at the leaden box and Loki saw him smile, just like before.

As soon as the door closed audibly, Abby whispered frightened: “What was that?”

“I do not know.”, Loki stated a lie, not willing to tell her the truth, not able to. The way she gazed at him, long and thoughtfully, made him sure she did not believe him or at least suspected something, but she did not push the issue. Instead she muttered: “I am glad we got away unscathed. Such an…earthquake is dangerous business.”

“Indeed.”, Loki agreed, happy to adopt the explanation that seemed to be generally agreed on.

“I will have to categorise the damage…”, Abby mumbled and then picked up the leaden box again, now even more cautiously than before, almost as if she awaited an assault by the Gem inside it. And Loki knew that this fear was by no means far-fetched.

“Could you get me some paper and a pen from over there?”, he was asked and obliged, walking into the direction Abby had nodded to, but he immediately stopped dead in his tracks, staring into nothingness in amazement. He had yanked Mister Tivan’s hand away…by magic.

Slowly, a smile spread on his lips and Loki looked at his hands, then into the direction of the vault in which Abby was at that moment locking the Gem away again.

Was it reckless? Maybe. But in that very second he decided that he had to have his magic back. Even at the cost of exposure to such a force as the Tesseract’s sibling.


	7. Chapter 7

„I wonder…“, Abby mumbled, but Loki interrupted her almost harshly, „Don’t. I brought you here so as to not talk about this thing.“

She giggled lightly and then sighed in mock defeat: “Alright, I surrender. I will not talk about this thing.”

“Good. Enjoy the roses then.”, Loki suggested and to his surprise, she did. Closing her eyes, Abby inhaled the scent deeply and he could not help but watch her, see how her sorrows fell away from her and how she relaxed visibly, the constant frown she wore ever since the incident with the purple Gem was removed from her pretty face for the moment.

Smiling, Loki allowed himself, too, the relaxation which the scent of the roses brought him, even though it was mingled with grief, the utter sadness over Frigga’s loss. However, it also brought fond memories to mind and for this one instant, he felt almost at peace. But then the thought of the Gem intruded again and Loki wondered what he should do. He needed the Gem to regain his magic, this much was clear. And he needed Abby, stubborn und curious Abby who was sitting next to him, so he could access the Gem. But if she found out what the Gem truly was and what he was, what he had done…

No, he forbade himself to venture there. She would not find out, how should she?

Yet… what if she got too close? What if the Gem took possession of her, as the Tesseract had done with him?

Loki bit his lip at the thought, especially as he looked at Abby and found that he did not wish for that to happen. There was the unexpected and irrational wish to protect her.

Snorting, he cast it aside and inexplicably she smiled.

“What?”, he asked irritated, but Abby’s smirk only grew, “You told me not to think about that thing, as you dubbed it, but you are allowed to do so?”

“Well…yes.”, he stated and she arched an eyebrow, staring at him in indignation, “Oh? How so?”

“I am Loki of Asgard.”, he replied, half serious, half jesting and when she started giggling, he fell right in and snickered to himself.

“Sure.”, Abby muttered, “And I am a Valkyrie.”

At this Loki winked at her, but refrained from answering. Instead, he got up and offered her his hand to help her to her feet, an opportunity she gladly accepted and as she stood there in front of him, Abby smiled up at him with the warmest smile he had seen so far. It irritated him to no end.

“Thank you.”, Abby breathed softly and taken by surprise, Loki only managed a slight shake of the head which made her smile and elaborate, “For bringing me here. I have spent too much time with the Gem. Thank you for forcing me to get away today, to leave early and come here. With you.”

“I practically had to drag you here.”, Loki joked and she scoffed indignantly, but then smiled again and repeated her words, “Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.”, he replied and after a slight smile, Abby looked away from him, her gaze wandering over the roses in Queen Mary’s Garden where they had spoken for the first time.

“I have always loved roses.”, as she said these words, she shyly, clandestinely wiped away a tear from under her glasses.

“Sorry.”, she sniffled, “It’s just… Mother loved roses.”

Before she could wipe another tear away, it found its way down her cheek and this time it was Loki who gently wiped the drop away.

“I know how you feel.”, he admitted quietly, “My mother loved them as well.”

Why he had revealed this, he had no idea and frankly, he did not want to think about it. So, as Abby was staring up at him from out of her doe eyes, still rimmed with tears, Loki tore away and gruffly told her: “Let’s go.”

Her house was not far away and for once Loki craved the silence and emptiness his own little flat in the house offered. Quietly, Abby followed him and they did not talk until they had almost reached the house.

“Would you like Spaghetti for dinner? I could cook some up with carrots and my own sauce recipe.”, Abby suggested and even though he felt uncomfortable and confused at the moment, he smiled as he answered, “Sounds delicious. Yes, thank you.”

“Good.”, Abby replied happily and unlocked her door. It was strange, Loki thought when he glanced at the lone door that led to his small flat, he had done nothing but sleep in there as he had spent almost all the evenings with Abby. And yet he had not found a way to get a hold of her keys or to take them off her, neither with her consent nor without. True enough, he admitted to himself when they entered the house, he could have knocked her unconscious a good number of times by now, but he refrained from it. He had to be absolutely sure that he would be able to find the Gem and to use it properly before burning all bridges to Abby. So he needed her for a while longer, he kept telling himself.

As Abby hung her coat, her telephone beeped, the permanent line in the kitchen.

“Yes, coming.”, Abby mumbled, as if the person who called her on the phone was able to actually hear her. Loki found it strange, yet somehow endearing. Snorting, he accepted that he was growing soft after all, finding the weakness and stupidity of mortals endearing.

“Hello?”, Abby greeted, but then grew awfully quiet, so quiet that Loki had to look at her to make sure she was still there on the phone. When he saw her standing there, her whole body taut and tense, he frowned with a pang of concern and went over to her. He did not understand what the speaker was saying, but the tone of his voice was unmistakable: He was angry.

“I…”, Abby began, but was interrupted again. Whoever had called her was ranting and when his voice grew even louder, she winced and held the receiver away from her ear, so Loki caught a snatch of the speaker’s rant: “…who do you think you are? You have no right…”

When the man spoke in a lower, yet still raised voice again, Loki could no longer understand what he was saying, but he clearly saw what it was doing to Abby. She was shaking and pale.

“Hang up.”, Loki mouthed and as she shook her head, frightened, he nodded with emphasis and strictness, but she remained stubborn and listened to the rant and, most possibly, accusations the man had in store for her.

“Now.”, he demanded silently and she winced as she looked into his eyes, but then sighed in defeat. “Frank, we will speak again, just not now.”

All Loki heard was another string of profanities he realised even without understanding a single word, but when Abby just stood there, frozen in fear or hurt or both, he took the receiver from her clammy grasp and hung up in her stead.

“What was that about?”, he asked and as she did not react, he touched her shoulder, to which she gave a violent start and then backed away from him, shaking her head, “Nothing.”

“Oh?”, Loki said sarcastically and demanded, “You were shaking, numb with fear. What was that about? Who was that on the phone?”

Again there were tears in her eyes Abby quickly wiped away before she looked at him and then, after a deep intake of breath, she stated: “Frank. My mother’s husband.”

Keeping silent, Loki gave her the time she needed to proceed and Abby plopped down onto a chair, burying her face in her hands before she looked at him again and explained: “They married a few years ago. I… I never really liked Frank, but he made her happy for some unfathomable reason. But… now he thinks he was hoodwinked, thinks he should have inherited the house as they had lived here before they moved to Greenwich two years ago and even though I have lived here ever since. He can be… difficult.”

Why he asked, Loki did not know, but it was the first thing he thought of and his tongue was for once quicker than his mind: “What about your father?”

Abby laughed bitterly and got up, pulling something up from under her blouse. Loki frowned in irritation, but then saw that she had not pulled up her keys, but instead a silver amulet she showed to him, explaining: “What about him? Please don’t ask me. I do not know him, I never met him and Mother refused to tell me anything about him, apart from the fact that he made this amulet for me when I was born. Then he…I don’t know, he somehow vanished. Mom never told me. So this is all I have from him.”

Tenderly, Loki held the amulet in the palm of his hand and looked at it closely. The pattern on it was simple, minimalistic, yet beautiful and it took him a while to recognise the marks on it for what they were. Runes. He found the letters A, G, W, and O in the delicate pattern. But he knew they also symbolised a God-given gift, joy and also heritage, so he concluded that Abby’s father had expressed his joy over a child, and heir, with this amulet. Out loud he said: “Now I see where you have your love for the Viking culture from.”

“Yes, I guess that is true.”, Abby chuckled and took the silver amulet back to tug it under her blouse, “To be honest, in part I studied this culture to understand what sort of message he had left with this amulet. But it only means joy.”

“That you are a God-given heir, a gift of great joy.”, Loki said and she stood there, astonished before she whispered, “You know runes?”

“I can read them, yes.”, he admitted as it was too late to take his words back now, but Abby’s smile only widened.

“You are full of surprises.”, she murmured happily and Loki bit back a remark. If she only knew…

“Say…”, Abby muttered, nervously biting her lip in a fashion Loki by now could link to the expression she showed when she had to say something that made her uncomfortable. And he was right, because she remained silent and looked anywhere but at him.

“Yes?”, he asked, drawing out the word so it became ridiculously long and Abby giggled, albeit awkwardly before she blurted out, “Would you be my plus one?”

“Your…what?”, Loki asked, shaking his head as he was not familiar with that term. Had she really done what he thought she had…?

“Uhm…”, Abby muttered, blushing, “This is…awkward. Sorry, I should not have bothered you with it, it’s just…”

“Abby.”, he cut her off, gently, but sternly, “What do you want to say?”

She sighed heavily, clearly cursing herself for having said even a single word, but when she looked at him, she obviously saw that there was no escape now, she had made him curious after all.

“There is going to be a ball.”, Abby began hesitantly, and rolled her eyes when she saw Loki’s amused smile, “I…will go and I am allowed to bring someone, a plus one. So… I wanted to ask you if you would like to accompany me.”

Loki was grinning without knowing why exactly. Sure, it was good to hear that the woman you were pursuing actually wanted you with her, positively fled to you as it would make seducing her into giving up her keys and handing the Gem to him so much easier. On the other hand he reckoned that Abby was not the type to give up her findings like the Gem just because of an apparently “trustworthy” face and a gentle smile.

Despite this knowledge, he smiled and teased: “Doctor Seward ordered you to go.”

It was not a question; he was absolutely sure.

“Yes.”, Abby admitted in a whine and he just had to chuckle, but it faded to a slight smile when she looked up at him and asked, insecure as ever, “So…will you? I do not want to go, but if I have to, then I’d… I would really like to have you by my side.”

Somehow, these words were bittersweet and Loki refrained from thinking about it, he just did not wish to know the reason for it.

“I will gladly accompany you.”, Loki smiled and had to chuckle again as she let out her held breath, slumping forward in palpable relief. So, naturally, he had to tease her: “After all, it means I will get to see you in a gown and all prettied up.”

The glare she shot him would have been deadly had she been more than a mere human, but he survived, even though he had to admit that he was surprised by the force with which she shoved an invitation to the ball against his chest before she stormed off towards the kitchen. Snickering to himself, Loki read the invitation and was instantly glad she had asked him, even more than he had been before. It was a ball to gain more sponsors for the cause of the museum, so he was sure Mister Tivan would attend as well. He wanted that man nowhere near Abby.

Loki did not stop to think about this instinctual aversion against the man and even more so about his wish to see Abby safe. Instead, he decided to go up to the study in which Abby kept her mother’s works. The ball was in a few days and he would need a fitting garment for the occasion.


	8. Chapter 8

„You cannot hide in there forever.“, Loki chided through the tightly closed – and locked – bathroom door, “Abby, we have to leave soon.”

It was ridiculous, yet he had not expected anything else from her. How could a person be so insecure about themselves, even more so a woman like Abby? Shaking his head, he smoothed out the wrinkles in the dinner jacket he was wearing for the sponsors’ ball of the British Museum tonight. He had actually found a dinner jacket and dress pants in deep, noble black, and a waistcoat in darkest green. Abby’s mother had possessed treasures that could almost hold a candle to Asgardian tailoring, almost.

“Abby…”, Loki muttered again, his temper rising in impatience.

“Alright, alright!”, she called through the door and he heard her sigh in defeat, “Just… don’t laugh.”

Loki could not help himself, he did laugh at her words and asked, “Why should I laugh at…?”

He stopped dead when the bathroom door opened and Abby stood there before him. Had he not known that she had disappeared into it an hour ago, he would have sworn every oath that the person in front of him was not the shy curator he had come to know.

She was beautiful. Regal and nothing short of divine as she stood there in a dress that flowed around her form, the lush material rippling like a stream of cool water, shining golden one instant, then green the next depending on how the light met the fabric. And her face… her eye make-up was also gold and green and there was nothing else, no unnecessary paint to hide the natural beauty he had believed to hide behind her shy expression. And for once, he could see that her hair reached down halfway her back, as she had only half of it up, whilst the other half was down in soft, dark brown waves. The dress was loose around her form, but tight around her chest and for once, Loki got a pretty good idea just what Abby was usually hiding under her roomy blouses.

It was stupid, instinctive and purely male and animalistic, but his hands twitched with the desire to cup her breasts, to give them a tight squeeze and just find out how they would feel against his palms, how they would fill his hands. Loki doubted that his hands would really be big enough.

“Uhm…”, Abby mumbled and this tore his gaze away. He had been staring, had been caught staring, embarrassing.

But he regained his composure and looked into Abby’s dark doe eyes before he sincerely said: “You look like a queen.”

Looking like that, she was fit to be a queen.

“We…ah, we should…go.”, Abby stuttered and once again, she simply left him where he stood as she dashed to the wardrobe, practically yanking a stole of the same fabric her dress was made of from the shelf and slipping into her shoes. Again, Loki could not help it, he had to look, but the dress showed absolutely nothing of Abby’s form. Except the form of her chest, but she crossed her arms over it and hid behind the stole as if it was an impenetrable wall.

Sighing, Loki offered Abby his arm as he pointed to the door, but all she did was stare at him in disbelief.

“You know, I can be nice if I am trying really hard.”, he joked and she smiled, but shook her head, “I know, it’s just…”

A car horn honked outside and Loki was sure that he would never hear the end of Abby’s sentence.

“Oh, never mind.”, she mumbled and opened the door, “The cab is here.”

Saying nothing more, they both entered the car and were soon on their way to the ball. Loki was fine with it, festivities had mostly bored him in Asgard, but they had also always been an inexhaustible opportunity for mischief, and he was determined to take full advantage of this. Abby, however, was biting her lip, even more so than usual and her hands were restless, fidgeting with the folds of her dress or her purse.

“Relax.”, Loki asked of her and, as she stared at him, he took a hold of her right hand, “It is just a party.”

“I hate parties.”, Abby muttered and withdrew her hand, but he could only shake his head, “Why? How can you hate parties?”

She looked at him, rolling her eyes, a pleading look in them, but Loki continued: “There is food and drink, music. You can dance and chat.”

“Which is exactly why I don’t like them.”, Abby informed him grumpily.

“Pardon me?”, he began again and Abby scoffed in exasperation, “There are people, lots of people! You have to talk to them, keep them entertained because, you know, they are sponsors or potential sponsors and if they happen to be interested in your field, then you have to actually talk to them and…!”

“Abby.”, Loki interrupted her with a barely restrained chuckle, “Are you saying you don’t like people?”

“No, I was saying…!”, she began, but then fell silent and admitted, “Not really, no. Most of them are…so…so…”

“Stupid.”, Loki prompted and she sighed, “Yes. And they don’t even see. They hurt you and they don’t even stop for a second to wonder, it doesn’t even occur to them.”

Now he was at a loss for words and looked out the window in the vain hope he would find his silver tongue out there. To no avail, of course, so he had to make do with the clumsy words he was able to think of: “That is not what I meant. Their stupidity is annoying, they are in fact annoying. They do not see… and it will be their demise.”

“But…”, Abby objected and even though he shot her a glare, she continued, “Then you have to make them see. It is unbelievable, you know, the feeling that you actually taught someone a valuable lesson. But it is so rare…”

Frowning, Loki turned away again so that she did not see his face. She wanted to teach people, to displace their stupidity with knowledge, when instead she could take advantage of their simple-mindedness? Why would she? That was utterly insane.

“It is rare.”, he agreed, not knowing what else to say as he turned to Abby again and added, “So it is a surprising and precious thing to find wisdom in another being. Just for once.”

“True.”, Abby smiled and this time, she reached out and took his hand and Loki was the one who withdrew it only a moment later. Something was…off, terribly wrong. He had a pretty good idea what it was, yet he forbade himself to think about it. It was foolish to hope that ignoring it would actually make it go away, but he would take his chances.

He was relieved that he would not have to think about this complication just yet as the car came to a halt in front of their destination, a fine mansion belonging to one of the sponsors as far as he knew.

“Thank you, good night.”, Abby wished the cabby after she paid their fee and Loki offered his hand, helping her out of the car and onto the gravelly ground. With her heels on, the top of her head barely reached the tip of his nose and he reprimanded her: “As the gentlemen between us two, I should have paid.”

“Since when?”, Abby asked in genuine incomprehension and he answered, startled, “Ever since? The gentleman is supposed to pay.”

“I know that.”, Abby smiled, “But since when are you amongst them?”

For a moment, he was speechless and Abby made good use of that moment by grinning at him and walking past him.

Making a sound between a scoff and a chuckle, Loki followed her and offered his arm again. As she took it, he rebuked: “I earned my membership in the honourable club of gentlemen when I told you that you are beautiful.”

She blushed and Loki knew he had won this argument… when Abby surprised him again: “You said I looked like “a queen”. They do not necessarily need to be beautiful.”

“Aren’t you cheeky today.”, he observed with a smirk, “Where is my Abby Goddard and what did you do to her?”

The words were out before he had been able to think about them, but he would not take them back now.

“Well…”, Abby drawled and smirked up at him, “Maybe I decided to give her a night out. Seeing that the dress and the make-up are apparently not as horrible as I had thought…”

“You are beautiful.”, Loki told her again, putting emphasis on his words by squeezing her hand on his arm, “You truly are. A beautiful lady fit to be a queen.”

“Stop it.”, Abby muttered angrily, “A hot-red blush doesn’t go well with that dress.”

Now he laughed out loud and she soon joined him, apparently aware of the looks and the attention they drew at themselves, but she did not seem to mind too much.

Showing her invitation, they were admitted and were engulfed by music and the scent of good wine. The ball had already begun, but Loki would not complain. Somehow, he had missed festivities.

Looking around, he could not help but smile. There was life in the air, vibrant and pulsing, an infinite resource of minds and feelings to be toyed with. He had absolutely missed that.

Abby sighed at his side and he saw her check her watch.

“Don’t you think it is rude to check the time already?”, he joked and gently poked her side. Admittedly, he did not only wish to tease her, but also know just how she looked already. He had lived as her lodger for weeks by now and he had absolutely no idea about her form as she always hid in baggy clothes, often elegant, yet still too roomy and leaving everything to his imagination.

She squeaked in discomfort and jerked away, but then, directing her gaze straight ahead, she whined: “Uh snap…”

Following her gaze, Loki spotted Julian amidst the other guests.

“Did you really expect to be rid of him for one evening?”, he dead-panned and Abby responded in kind, “A girl can dream.”

They exchanged a quick look and then both burst out laughing. Whatever had happened to her in that bathroom, not only had it transformed her into an apparition of beauty, no, it had also made her more confident. This new found confidence would make it difficult to manipulate her, but still Loki found it refreshing and was glad she rebutted all his jokes. And her replies were not too shabby, either. He had to think about this.

“I will get us drinks.”, he suggested and she nodded with a grateful smile, but as she opened her mouth to place an order, Loki grinned at her and guessed, “Orange juice, no alcohol, watered down a bit.”

She blinked at him, baffled speechless and he chuckled to himself as he darted off to get their drinks. One of the first things he had learned about Abby was that she despised alcohol. She tried not to show it, but it was plain.

The barkeeper, a young girl with a pretty smile, tried to flirt with him and it astonished Loki that he did not respond to it. Sure, she was pretty, for a mortal… but he was not in the least interested. She was a mortal after all… yet so was Abby.

Collecting the glass of orange juice for her and ginger ale for himself –refraining from alcohol as it would make Abby happy and therefore more gullible, he thought – Loki turned around to look at her. And immediately growled deep in his throat. Julian.

That imbecile just did not know where to draw the line. Judging from the unhealthy flush on his face, the glass of whiskey or whatnot in his hand was not the first he had had tonight and he was standing a tad too close to Abby. She was withdrawing from him, her shame and disgust plain on her features, yet upon Julian these hints were utterly lost.

“Defend yourself.”, Loki muttered under his breath; she had to learn to deflect such idiots. Sadly, she was getting nowhere, clearly, so Loki made his way over to them.

Just when he got into earshot, however, he stopped and eavesdropped, hearing Julian’s already a bit slurred speech: “C’mon, sweet, I’m here and willing. Where is that bloke any way?”

“Loki is getting drinks.”, Abby answered with a sweet smile, but then her voice grew so cold it was almost palpable, “And I would strongly advise you to be gone when he returns. It is in your own best interest.”

“Are you threatening me with that idi…?”, Julian began, but Abby cut him off, “By no means. But I guess it would hurt your delicate feelings to see my ravishing him here and now, on the spot. Wouldn’t it?”

Julian stared at her and so did Loki, but he then chuckled to himself, whereas Julian flushed with anger again and scampered off, muttering furiously: “Bitch…”

He should not have said that…

Angry, Loki went after him, but Abby called after her colleague in the sweetest voice, yet dripping with acid: “A nice evening to you too!”

Loki’s own anger subsided and he laughed again.

“Well played.”, he told Abby, standing directly behind her and she gave a violent start after he had whispered those words into her ear, “You made him run for his money.”

She giggled nervously and gladly accepted the glass of orange juice, immediately hiding behind it as she took a gulp. What made him do it, Loki was not sure, maybe it was the intent of mischief, the feeling of having to do something rewarding for Abby, the wish for revenge or merely the desire to have fun, he looked at Julian and with a jerk of his hand, he made the glass in Julian’s hand topple over, spilling its dark liquid contents all over the man’s white shirt and blue jacket. Satisfying.

He chuckled as he saw the shock and disbelief on Julian’s face and the commotion it caused also drew in Abby’s attention. When she saw what had happened, she burst out in breathless laughter, but immediately clasped her hand over her mouth, obviously shocked by her own well-deserved gloating.

“He deserved it.”, Loki told her in a morose growl, but she stuttered, “Kind of, yes, but…laughing at him is a horrible thing to do.”

And she was already shy again. Touching her shoulder, Loki told her sincerely: “No, he earned that. And you did great. I saw that he was there and I would have stepped in had he overdone it, but I wanted you to defend yourself. And you did, marvellously so. You did not need help.”

“Maybe not this time.”, Abby dismissed his words, “But what if…”

“Then I will be there.”, Loki promised.

Why in the Nine Realms he had said that, he did not know, but he knew it was true.

Abby blinked up at him, an expression of utter disbelief on her face and he guessed that it was mirrored on his own face.

“There you are!”, a pleased interjection saved him from delving deeper into those dangerous waters he was not ready to explore yet, but the voice also startled them both. Abby’s head whipped around to the speaker and Loki was sure that she had strained her neck by that motion since his own neck was also protesting fiercely.

“I had hoped to see you again today, Miss Goddard.”, Mister Tivan greeted her, again with a kiss on the back of her hand. Loki, on the other hand, he ignored completely. Again an unpleasant shiver ran through him and he found his contempt for the man only growing stronger. If he only knew…

“And i-it is good to see you-u too.”, Abby replied, her stutter showing just how uncomfortable she was. Before he could think about it, Loki put an arm protectively around Abby and pulled her close to his side as he greeted Mister Tivan: “Good evening. I do hope you are enjoying the ball.”

“Now I am.”, was the reply he got, but even though the words were directed at him, the sponsor’s gaze was not. Abby blushed even more furiously and she squirmed to get away from Loki, but he held her firmly in place. He would not leave her alone with this man.

“Have you found out more about the Gem, per chance?”, Mister Tivan enquired and Loki barely managed to refrain from snapping a rude reply at him. Abby, however, oblivious to his anger, answered: “Not as of yet, unfortunately. It has its secrets, but it also guards them well. I only know that…”

“If you would be so kind and excuse us, I just spotted another sponsor. She is especially interested in the Viking exhibition, even offered a few pieces of her private collection as a loan. And she specifically requested to meet both of us. I hope we can talk later, but she gets so impatient.”, Loki interrupted before Abby could share any findings he did not want Mister Tivan to know about.

Not really waiting for a response, but noting all the same that Mister Tivan smiled generously and dismissed them with a nod of his head, Loki pulled Abby away and towards the other end of the hall.

“Wait…!”, Abby breathed and wrenched free, “What is going on? Which sponsor did you see?”

“No one.”, Loki snapped taciturnly, still pulling her away from the sponsor they just left.

“But you said…?”, Abby began and he shot at her, “I lied.”

Amidst all the other guests, Abby stopped dead in her tracks and, as Loki tried to pull her onwards she stood her ground and stared at him, silently demanding an answer he was not willing to give.

“Why?”, she voiced her question as he stayed silent, “Why are you so protective of me?”

He was dumb-founded and could do nothing but blink at her stupidly. He had expected to be asked why he tried to keep her away from Mister Tivan, but not…this.

On the other hand, the answer was almost the same: He wanted to know she was safe. As to why he wished that, he was not going to elaborate on that.

Thankfully, the until now gentle background music rose in volume and it gave him just the idea he needed: “May I ask for this dance, Milady?”

Abby frowned at him and he knew that look, but not from her. He knew it from his mother… Frigga. She had always had the same frown, a slight wrinkling of her nose when she had known that he was lying…and nevertheless allowed him to get away with it.

To his great relief, Abby did the same, giving him a lopsided smile as she offered her hand. She was going along with it, but he knew that the awkwardness of this moment would come back at him at some point. By then he would be ready, but now he just wanted to dance.

Once on the dance floor, Loki pulled Abby closer for a dance and he silently chuckled to himself when he felt her go rigid as she was a bit uncomfortable, just as he had expected. But she relaxed in his arms and smiled up at him. The look she gave him out of her doe eyes went directly into Loki’s core and he knew, once again, that no one had ever looked at him like that, so… gentle and somehow happy to see him.

“I’ve been meaning to thank you.”, Abby murmured so quietly he almost did not catch her words over the sound of the music around them, but even so he had trouble believing his ears had not deceived him.

“What do you mean?”, he asked before he could stop himself and Abby blushed, but did not trip in their dance. Quietly and whilst avoiding looking directly at him, she replied: “You gave me… I don’t know. Apart from saving my job…”

“You did that yourself.”, he interrupted, but Abby shook her head, “No. I had a part in it, but so had you. And fighting off Julian like I just did… before I met you, that would not have been possible for me. I simply would not have done it.”

“Why not?”, Loki asked, still not comprehending what she was going on about.

“I… have no answer for that.”, Abby admitted with a nervous giggle and he whirled them both around in their dance, catching her off guard which made her laugh breathlessly before she continued, “I simply would not have dared. But knowing that you are there… it helped. You gave me more self-esteem.”

“No.”, Loki objected, “You know who you are, you know your worth.”

“Well, maybe I just had no idea about it.”, Abby shrugged with a smile, “All the same, you made me see. And I am grateful for it. So thank you.”

The smile she gave him made his mouth dry. Loki could not comprehend her words, why she was grateful. He had teased her, he was using her… and she was grateful for it. A year ago, he would have revelled in such knowledge, now it only filled him with revulsion… at himself.

Distracting himself and hopefully also Abby before she spotted the disgust and disbelief in his gaze, he gave her a cocky smile and suggested: “Well then, it is about time you put that new-found self-esteem and the self-confidence that is also in the package to good use.”

Frowning and retreating a bit, Abby looked at him, trying to catch his meaning. Instead, Loki caught her and pulled her closer again before she could slip out of his grasp and then changed the topic: “You know the Norse mythology and its legends better than most. I do not have to remind you about all the things Loki did.”

“No.”, she agreed, clearly unsure what he was aiming at, “He brought the whole universe to the brink of destruction, more than once.”

He gritted his teeth, not entirely happy that she had dug up this particular bit of legend.

“True, but he has also saved it a couple of times. And he is capable of shape-shifting.”, Loki prompted and she smiled, “Yes. Legend has it he transformed into a mare once. Wonderful story.”

He could not agree with her on that, because living it had not been as enjoyable as laughing about it later on, but he had her where he had wanted her, so he smiled and added: “Well then. If he managed to transform into a female animal, then why not a woman?”

“A woman?”, Abby asked with a beginning smile and then nodded with a grin, “Lady Loki. I like that.”

“Good.”, he smiled at her, “Because you would make a wonderful Lady Loki.”

“Me?”, Abby stuttered and this time, she also tripped over her own feet. Loki did not interrupt their dance, but pulled her against him, steadying her body when he was about to seriously unhinge her mind: “Yes, you. I can think of no one else who would be up for it and make a good show during our tours. You would be very convincing.”

“N-no…”, she stuttered and practically clawed her fingers into his shoulder to steady herself, “I could never…”

“A month ago you would have said that you could never fought off Julian on your own.”, Loki stopped her and she stared at him before she sputtered, “True, but…”

“True.”, he seized her admission, “So what is keeping you? Go for it. Trust me, as your personal Loki of the British Museum, when I tell you that it is great fun.”

“But who will guide the tour?”, Abby asked and Loki shrugged with a smile, “I have seen you give the tour often enough. I guess I can manage it, especially with you as Loki by my side, throwing in snarky remarks when I don’t know the answer to a visitor’s question.”

“What, should I just say “Typical, mortals, they do not know a single thing. What you see here is of course a depiction of the necklace I made the dwarves forge for Freya”? Something along those lines?”

“Absolutely.”, Loki nodded, thoroughly impressed by her improvised sassy remark that was truly worthy of a female version of himself. And, if he truly had to take the form of a woman, he wished for a form with Abby’s looks.

She frowned in shock, but then meekly asked: “Do you really think that was any good?”

“It was perfectly fine to me.”, Loki reassured her and he knew he had won even before she sighed, “Alright. Give me a few days and I will try. Maybe!”

“No, surely.”, he teased, “By now I have put the idea in your mind, you will do it because you will want to do it. Trust me.”

Clearly at a loss for words, Abby then resorted to sticking the tip of her tongue out to him. Loki raised one dark eyebrow in a silent reprimand and they both laughed.

“Alright, you win.”, Abby chuckled and Loki purred in response, “Good.”

He had always liked to win, but this time, manipulating her, it was more than merely winning. For once, it would be great fun to mess with her head a bit more. And in the end it would get him the Gem, the only chance to regain magic. It was just… looking at Abby, thinking of the way she was grateful and of her professional no-nonsense-attitude, he found it hard to think this ridiculous episode of him acting the fool in a museum would end with him getting the unrestricted access to the Gem he needed.

When he saw Abby cocking her head in a silent question, he put a reassuring, yet faked smile on his face and her concern abated.

He would not think about this for tonight, a night of a ball and a shared dance. Just for this one night.


	9. Chapter 9

“I… don’t think I can do this.”, Abby whined and smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in her costume – for at least the hundredth time.

“Of course you can.”, Loki objected, not able to keep a note of impatience out of his voice, “Just like I told you six hours ago for the first tour.”

Her eyes looked at him in a silent plea, but Loki shook his head and replied sternly: “No, Abby. I let you get away the last two tours when you said you wanted to see my version of the Museum Loki again to get ideas for your own, but now it is definitely time. Go for it.”

She frowned again and Loki saw her insecurity rise again. What would it take to make that woman see what she was capable of? What indeed?

Checking the watch on the wall behind Abby in her office, Loki smirked: “Quite literally, it is time. The tour is just about to begin.”

“Oh no…!”, Abby muttered, but Loki grabbed a hold of her shoulders and made her look at him before he firmly ordered: “You will hide behind the doorway to the everyday-life objects, just like I always do. There you will wait for your cue, the comment about horns on Viking helmets. Now go while I greet our guests.”

She scampered off, her lower lip trembling in nervousness Loki knew was uncalled-for. She would do great, he had seen her potential for mischief, she just had not unlocked it due to her own anxiety. Why he wanted to make her see it, he did not know, but why did fun always have to have some other proper reason apart from being fun? It did not, he decided and left the office.

They had done a good job of reversing their roles for the last tour of the day, Loki thought as he watched Abby round a bend before she was out of sight. She was dressed in elegant black with a deep green overcoat and golden jewellery they had found in her mother’s treasure trove. Abby looked astonishingly like a princess, but she had been more beautiful at the ball. Loki himself, on the other hand, was dressed in the plainest clothes he had ever possessed, black jeans and a light green shirt Abby thought suited him well. They had even found an unused nametag somewhere and, without further ado, had made him the tour guide Lucas for the occasion. Having two Lokis would be a bit too much for their visitors, they had agreed.

Chuckling quietly to himself, Loki made his way over to where the visitors where waiting and greeted them with a smile: “Hello and thank you for coming to our exhibition about the fascinating culture of the Vikings. I am Lucas, your guide for today’s tour. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.”

A quick glance around the group of people told him that in all 19 people were there, amongst them five children, most of them looking a bit bored. Well, that was about to change as soon as they would catch a glance of Abby and hear her as Loki.

“Please, follow me so we can begin our tour.”, Loki invited them and led them over to a show case, the very same showcase he always interrupted Abby’s tour at.

“Here you can see helmets usually worn into battle by Viking foot soldiers.”, Loki explained and saw a lad of about eight years scrunch up his face at that, so he chuckled, “I can see you are not alright with that statement. Do you think Vikings should have horned helmets? Well, they would have looked impressive, no doubt…”

“Impressive?”, came a derisive snort behind him and all heads turned to Abby in her green and black attire, “You mean ridiculous. Plus, a horned helmet is not very helpful in a fight.”

“Oh.”, Loki made, “Miss, might I ask who you are? Some expert on Viking battle lore?”

“Do I look like a plump warrior to you?”, Abby asked and threw their audience a look, clearly saying “Can you believe him?” without saying a word to them before she turned to him again and added, “I am Loki of Asgard.”

“You can’t be.”, a girl in the audience chimed in, a small thing of six years at most.

“Why not?”, Abby asked and Loki saw her slip out of character for a second as she was clearly surprised, but when the girl spoke up again, Abby began to smile, “Loki is a man. Isn’t he?”

“I am.”, Abby stated, “But I am also a God capable of shape-shifting. I have transformed into a mare and an eagle, it was no challenge to assume the form of a woman.”

Now the children stared at her in awe and Loki had to bite the inside of his cheek so as not to laugh. It was glorious to behold.

“Yes, well, be that as it may…”, Loki began addressing Abby, “I have to ask you to leave, this is a guided tour…”

“By all means, proceed.”, Abby told him, “I will just accompany you and point out all the mistakes you make along the way. So, no pressure, you know?”

She gave him a teasing grin, the brightest he had seen on her lips so far and a happy giggling went through their audience.

“Well, uhm…if you insist.”, Loki acted all baffled and Abby smirked, “Oh, I do insist. Go on, mortal.”

As he did not react immediately, she shooed him on. Squinting at her in slight annoyance, Loki vowed that she would pay for that, her acting to blame for it or no, he would pull another prank on her just for that insult.

They proceeded into the next room of the exhibition and Loki took his position next to the showcase in which typical jewellery was at display. He explained the pieces without difficulty as he had known their purpose and origin even before he had heard Abby explain them.

“This necklace most probably belonged to the wife of a Jarl, a leader of the Viking people.”, he explained and pointed to glass beads on a leather string, even though the string was almost weathered, “It may have belonged to the Jarl himself. But, all in all, glass was purchased regularly by Vikings and they used it to create such glass beads as the ones you see here. They were very skilled at that.”

Turning to Abby he added: “Don’t you agree that it is beautiful? It might even suit a god such as yourself.”

Abby raised an eyebrow under the gaze of their visitors and the little girl from before chimed in: “I think it is pretty.”

Abby smiled at her, but declared: “It is. They weren’t half bad at creating beads, but I am a God. I will settle for nothing less than the dwarven made necklace Brisingamen I stole from Freyja.”

“You can’t steal.”, the girl from before said shocked and Abby smirked, but then explained, “It wasn’t hers to begin with.”

“Still, you should have given it back. The girl is right.”, Loki cut in and Abby shot him an annoyed glance so convincing that he had almost believed her acting, then she sighed, “Well, do you see it on me? Odin made me get rid of it. Caused only trouble anyways.”

“Ah.”, he made indecisively and gestured at their guests to continue their tour. It was great fun and with every remark Abby threw in, Loki could see her loosen up and enjoy herself more and more. Moreover, the children loved her. She also earned a chuckle from their adult guests when Loki explained the cutlery and the production of mead and Abby added: “The best mead I ever drank was, of course, from Asgard. But the mortals did pretty well with it too. At least you could get heavily drunk with their stuff, so take care if you ever find yourself drinking with a Viking.”

What he did not like was the way some men looked at Abby, but he shrugged the thought off and instead proceeded to the next bit of the exhibition. They were about halfway through when the little girl stumbled and asked her mother: “Mommy, can you carry me? I’m tired.”

“Honey, you’re too heavy for me. Come on, just a little longer.”

The girl looked unhappy and definitely tired. Why he said it, Loki was not sure, but he offered: “May I? I guess I can carry your daughter.”

“Uhm…you really don’t have to…”, her mother stuttered, but he replied, “I know. I’d just like to help.”

Why had he said that? But when the mother slowly nodded and the little girl smiled up at him, the reason did not really matter anymore. Loki hoisted her up and found it no difficulty to carry her with just one arm.

“Hi, I’m Lucas.”, he introduced himself again and she whispered shyly, yet beaming with joy, “Emmy.”

“Good to have you with us, Emmy, let’s go.”, Loki cheered and they went on. Abby looked at him and the smile she gave him… it sent a shiver down his spine, even though he did not know why. So he shrugged it off and continued their tour.

The girl on his arm enjoyed being so close to the exhibits and suddenly she seemed not so tired anymore, but he simply smiled to himself and silently complimented her on her wily way of getting what she wanted. And at that age already.

When they got to the last room of the tour, Loki proceeded to the cabinets showing runestones and explained: “Unfortunately, we do not have that many documents in written form of the Vikings. What we have are gravestones, mostly, even though they are not always placed at the grave, but at some place the deceased was remembered. Runestones such as these gravestones were very helpful in deciphering the runes. But, we also have such whimsical exhibits as this one.”

As he said that, he pointed to a stick about the length of his hand and added: “This stick is the Viking form of a telegram, if you will. Messages were carved into the wood and then some errand-boy or girl, mostly sons or daughters, were sent off to bring those messages back and forth. This one in particular has two messages, the second one being a reply, most probably, yet unfortunately we could not decipher the second one as it is too wiggly, but the first message says: “Husband, come home you lazy fool.” I guess it was not pleasant for him.”

Their visitors laughed a bit, yet it was Abby who drew their attention as she squinted at the rune stick and then explained: “He was obviously in an ale-house when he got his wife’s message, for his reply, clearly written when already heavily drunk, simply reads: “Leave me alone, woman, the mead is prettier than you”.”

Loki waited for the laughter to subside. Of course, they both had known what was on the stick, but they had decided that “discovering” it right there would be more fun and Abby had agreed to it, even though it meant a slight inaccuracy.

“So you see, even though runes are accredited with mystical powers, it is not so. They are merely an alphabet just like the one we use today, just with different characters.”

“I have to disagree.”, Abby cut in and it surprised Loki, for that had not been planned, “I do agree so far, runes are like letters. But they can be magical. It is not the letters, it is the words that make magic.”

They looked at each other and both smiled. She was right, he had to admit it. But he would be damned if he told her that, so he kept silent.

Leading the group out of this last room, Loki told their audience: “With this, we come to an end. Thank you very much for your interest and I hope you enjoyed the tour.”

“Of course they did.”, Abby chimed in, “After all, it was blessed by me, a God. You did well, mortal.”

“Thank you.”, Loki said and threw her a slightly annoyed glance, but then looked back to the little girl Emmy in his arms.

“Thanks for carrying me, I feel more awake now.”, she said and he smiled before gently setting her down on the floor, “That is good to hear, I hope you enjoyed the tour as well.”

“I did.”, she told him happily and did not let him go before she had hugged him. Loki was startled. Emmy’s mother apologised for her and took her hand, but he merely shook his head: “No need…”

In fact, he had not expected the girl to be so content when he had carried her. He had not even thought it possible.

Together, Loki and Abby watched the last group of the day leave and as soon as they were out of sight, Loki turned around to her, smiling and he tried to tell her how well she had done, but he was cut off when Abby threw her arms around his neck.

She caught him off guard and he needed a moment to catch her as she had simply jumped at him and now relied on him to hold her in the air.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.”, Abby mumbled hastily and so quickly Loki was astonished she had not had to stop for breath yet.

“What for?”, he laughed as he tenderly pushed her back a bit, just far enough to be able to look at her. Abby’s face was flushed with excitement and she beamed up at him as she breathlessly explained: “For making me do that, for making me Lady Loki. I haven’t had so much fun in years!”

“Gladly.”, was all Loki found in his head to say when he looked into Abby’s eyes. She returned his gaze and the moment they were looking at each other stretched, kept growing longer and longer until Loki was painfully aware that even though Abby’s feet were on the ground again, her arms were still around his neck, as were his around her waist, their bodies closer than they had ever been before.

“Abby…”, he began, unsure what to say and instead he simply lowered his head, still not knowing what exactly he was doing, but not willing to think about it either.

“Congratulations, Miss Goddard!”, the cheerful voice of Doctor Seward startled them both and made them jump away from each other like teenagers caught in a kiss. Ridiculous…

“You… were not supposed to see this, Sir.”, Abby murmured and Loki was, one, surprised, and two, sure she had not meant Doctor Seward to hear that either, but the old man had quite the good ears for his age and, unsurprisingly for Loki, Doctor Seward asked, “But why not? I am astonished and can do nothing but marvel at all the sides to you no one has ever seen. Keep it up.”

With that, he smiled brightly at the two of them, leaving Abby in some sort of shock as she stared at him even after her boss had long since gone. Chuckling to himself, Loki nudged Abby and made her wince in surprise, so he told her: “Come on, get changed so we can go home.”

She merely nodded and he was thankful for it, because in her stupor of astonishment she had not seen the expression of shock on his face. He had called her house “home”… and he had meant it.

This was not good.

Something was affecting him and Loki was not ready to admit to himself just what it was, even though he had a pretty good idea about it, he just refused to acknowledge it. But it was there and he would have to deal with it, eventually.

He had to acquire the Gem and not waste any more time with useless fun like this. He had enjoyed it, but it could not last any longer. Yet… he knew he was not ready to give it up… to give Abby up.


	10. Chapter 10

Loki had successfully pushed all questions and doubts from his mind over dinner with Abby. Truly, it had not been any difficult. Abby was still so wrapped up in and disbelieving of her success as a female Loki that today’s tour was all she was talking about.

“I assure you.”, Loki repeated and laughed as he did so, “You did splendidly today.”

“I know.”, Abby giggled and he shot her a glance in mock annoyance, but she did not even realise it before she went on, “But I can’t believe it! I mean… they actually laughed at my jokes.”

“You are funny.”, Loki said whole-heartedly, but then gave her a cheeky, lop-sided grin just to hint at the ambiguity of the word.

“Yes, laugh.”, Abby muttered and narrowed her eyes at him, but she could not stop herself from smiling, so she added, “I can’t even stop laughing. I… was actually good. I made a good Loki.”

“That you did.”, he nodded in response, put their dishes away and as he turned to Abby and looked into her eyes, he added with a smile, “You proved more than worthy of the name Lady Loki.”

The moment he had spoken these words, he realised that they, too, could be misinterpreted. And, he saw with rising dread that threatened to choke him, Abby had realised this as well. Loki silently cursed his usual silver-tongue for slipping up this badly and spilling words that could be misinterpreted. But… he had to admit it, what Abby obviously thought was not so much of a misinterpretation as he had wanted it to be. Thinking of her that way, the lady by his side… it was not repulsive, on the contrary the mere thought made him…content.

Which was the very last thing he needed or wanted.

“Abby…”, he began, not knowing how in the Nine Realms to shrug that off, but she laughed shyly and said with a wry grin, “Well, you aren’t as eloquent as your namesake… no one can blame you for that, your parents are to blame. Foster parents.”

She had no idea he was his own alleged namesake and therefore every bit as eloquent as the Loki she knew from mythology, but it was a welcome excuse for that slip of the tongue, so he admitted in defeat: “I am not, unfortunately. So please forgive the gibberish.”

Abby nodded, but he saw her smile fading as she poured them both another glass of water. Loki had for once no idea what to say, so he kept silent.

Both of them gave a start when they heard a loud knock on the door, almost more a banging against the wooden surface than an actual knock.

“What on earth…?”, Abby muttered, set the water bottle down and went to open the door. Loki wanted to keep back, but once again the nightly visitor banged against the door so that Loki almost thought he would kick it from its hinges.

“Wait.”, he asked Abby, not wanting her to face whoever was out there on her own, but she did not heed his voice and was already peering through the spyhole.

“Oh no…”, she whispered, but her plea was almost drowned out by anew banging against the door and the shout of a man, “Open up!”

His speech was slurred as if he was drunk out of his senses and he was clearly angry.

“No…!”, Loki tried to stop her, but Abby told him over her shoulder, infinite weariness in her gaze, “It’s Frank. I have to answer…”

“Abby…!”, he tried again, feeling that this would not go down well, but she opened the door.

The man at her front door was a head’s length taller than her and almost twice her size, burly and strong. All in all, he reminded Loki of Volstagg with his rotund waist, bulging over his jeans, the round and muscular shoulders and fleshy hands. But even in his worst times, Volstagg had never looked as drunk and angry as this man was, his face red and mottled, bloodshot eyes that blinked heavily as they tried to focus on Abby. Instead of a greeting, Frank burped loudly which made Loki and Abby in unison frown in disgust.

“Hello, Frank.”, she greeted him, a sad and bitter smile on her face, yet still a smile and she reached for the man’s arm, “You do not look well. Shall I call you cab?”

“Stay away from me!”, Frank growled at her and wrenched his arm from her hand barely touching him, “…all your fault.”

“I am sorry.”, Abby whispered, her voice choked and Loki managed to do nothing more than stare. What was she apologising for?

“Shoulda stayed with her, damn idiot girl!”, Frank shouted at Abby, accusing her and that was all Loki needed to know. But even before he had taken one full step towards them to throw her stepfather out, Abby stopped him with a small gesture, nothing more than a slight wink of her hand, but still it made him stay where he was.

“I am sorry I wasn’t there.”, she whispered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes, “I was just out of her hospital room for five minutes, just to get coffee…”

“And she died alone!”, Frank shouted so loudly Abby flinched and covered her ears, “All alone! Should’ve been there!”

“I know.”, Abby apologised again, “I am so sorry.”

“Won’t fucking help no one now.”, Frank shot at her and despite her plea, Loki interfered. It required a lot of effort, but he kept his voice calm and reasonable as he said: “Neither does accusing each other. Please, calm down.”

Had it been his choice, he had simply kicked that drunkard out, but he respected Abby’s wish to get on good terms with him.

Frank turned to him, obviously realising there was someone else for the first time, he blinked and shook his head to clear his vision. But when he then glared at Loki, he was not so sure anymore that it was possible to reach good terms with this man.

“Who’s that prick?”, Frank muttered, swaying when he turned back to Abby who replied shyly, “A friend.”

“Yeah, right…”, her stepfather drawled drunkenly and then roared at her, “Don’t lie to me!”

“I’m not…”, Abby began, but he interrupted her, bellowing, “Don’t lie to me and don’t fuck around!”

To drive the message home, Frank balled his fist and crashed it against Abby’s cheek.

Enough. When Frank’s knuckles connected with Abby’s face, Loki saw red.

Abby fell to the floor, but before her stepfather could raise his fist again, as he had tried to, Loki grabbed him by the neck and dragged him out the door, having him stumbling behind him.

“Kneel.”, he growled, but when Frank in his drunken state did not react, Loki kicked him in the back of his knee, purposely so hard that he thought he heard something crack when the man’s knee hit the pavement. He put his hand to Frank’s throat, choking him while he stood behind him.

“Loki!”, Abby screamed somewhere from behind him and she sobbed pleading, “Stop, let him go.”

“Soon.”, Loki called to her and the whispered icily at Frank, “Go. You will never see her again, never speak to her again. You will never, ever again do so much as lay a finger on her. If I see you near her ever again, you will never have the chance to do anything to her again. Now go. Leave and never come back.”

“Prick.”, Frank was stupid enough to grind out between clenched teeth, “Appointing yourself her knight in armour just for a shag?”

The last word came out choked as Loki tightened his hold so hard he almost strangled the man in front of him.

“Loki!”, Abby called again and she was now standing beside him, pulling at his arm, “Let him go, you’re killing him.”

And he wanted to. But instead he slowly, gradually released her stepfather. As the man stumbled to his feet, Loki shoved him away and just for good measure put magical energy into the shove, thereby propelling the bastard a few metres forward. When he turned around again, Loki ordered coldly: “Leave.”

Staring him down, Loki waited until Frank had limped all the way down the lane and had disappeared around the bend.

“Loki…”, Abby mumbled, her eyes widened in fear and he gently shushed her, “It’s alright, he is gone.”

“No!”, she sobbed, “You don’t understand, he…”

“You alright, Miss Goddard?”, someone called and Abby whirled around answering, “Yes, Misses Mayn, just… a slight disagreement.”

“Not what it looked like from over here.”, the old lady, Abby’s neighbour replied and then addressed him instead of Abby, “You know, young man, that pesky little bugger had it coming. I always told him he couldn’t treat the baby girl Abby so badly, but whoever listens to daft old Marge? No one let me tell you that.”

Frowning, Loki stared at her, as did Abby, and the old woman smiled at him: “Take good care of her, will you?”

“I will, Ma’am.”, he answered and with a nod, the old hag wandered off into her house.

Abby was paralysed with shock, so Loki led her inside. As soon as the door had closed behind him, Abby rounded on him, her voice calm and steady, just the slightest bit trembling but controlled when she asked: “Do you have the slightest idea what you just did?”

“I do think so.”, Loki replied angrily, “I kicked your stepfather out, an abusive bastard.”

“But…”, Abby objected, yet he interrupted gently, “It is alright, he will not come back.”

“He is a cop!”, she cried, “Well, ex-cop, but still. He has gotten away with so many things because his boys protect him, he still has friends in the Force.”

“He will not come back.”, Loki reassured her, but she just shook her head, “You cannot know th…”

“And it is not your fault your mother died alone.”, he added quietly.

Abby stared at him wide-eyed, blinking in disbelief.

“How…?”, she breathed and he explained, “I figured that out myself. You left her for a few minutes after watching over her for as long as you could. You were there for her and I am sure she knows that.”

“How…?”, Abby mumbled, now blinking heavily to keep her tears at bay, “You…you cannot know that.”

“I cannot.”, Loki agreed, “ But I know you. I know that you were there for your mother, that you loved her and helped her with all your heart and all your energy. This I know for sure.”

Abby merely stared at him, but before he could stop himself, Loki added: “I was not there. But now I wish I had been there, for you.”

She remained silent and the silence stretched, became palpable, so once again Loki cursed his silver tongue that seemed to consist of lead lately.

“Let me see that.”, he asked, just to break that suffocating silence and he gently cupped Abby’s cheek to turn her head so he could see the dark, ugly bruise forming there. Seeing this made him wish he had inflicted more pain on her stepfather.

“Abby…”, he whispered quietly, caringly and smoothed down her hair, purely out of instinct, an action borne from the wish to make her comfortable, keep her safe.

Utterly silently, Abby burst into tears. It surprised Loki, engulfed him in a sea of tears he had not anticipated. She had been so strong, so controlled until now…

And that was when realisation hit him with the force of a blow meant to mutilate: She had been strong for too long. She could not keep it up any longer, so now she broke down.

Without a word, just a deep sympathetic sigh, Loki pulled her into his arms, rested her head gingerly against his shoulder and held her tight. Her tears flowed in a constant stream, silent sobs shaking her and Loki felt absolutely powerless. All he could do was hold her and kiss the top of her hair, for he did not even dare to whisper sweet nothings, not with that traitorous tongue of his. But as he did not speak, his mind was racing. Abby had been strong for too long and her tears told him just how desperate she had been all along, how much sadness and despair had been bottled up in her that now so violently erupted. Unbidden, he heard Thor’s voice in his mind: “She possesses strength you do not even know of.”

He had thought his alleged brother an idiot for thinking mortals were strong, for they were clearly weak. But now… he had to revoke this. Yes, mortals were weak, but they tried to be strong nonetheless, and for a time they even succeeded against all odds. Their weakness was their strength, their hope and endurance were their strength.

His heart was pounding at that epiphany and all he could do so as not to shiver and shake just like Abby did was hold her even tighter against his chest.

Slowly and sniffling, Abby retreated and she hastily wiped the tears from her cheeks, wincing when she rubbed against the fresh bruise.

“Sorry I…”, she began, but Loki stopped her by gently putting a finger to her lips, “There is no need to apologise. Sit down, Abby, I will get you ice for that bruise.”

He had to concentrate on functioning or he would give in to an urge he felt, but could not indulge in.

“T-thank you.”, she stuttered and sat down on the couch while Loki went to get her ice. Awkward silence spread and Abby furiously wiped at the tears that still fell. She hugged a pillow to her chest and, not knowing what to do, Loki clumsily patted her shoulder when he handed her the bag of ice, feeling incredibly stupid as he did so.

“Can we…”, Abby began, but she stopped and so he nodded in encouragement, “Can we watch a movie? It always helps to calm me down.”

“Sure.”, Loki smiled, relieved that she had a solution at hand when he was utterly clueless, but worried she actually had a strategy for evenings such as this one, “Should I get popcorn?”

“It is more of a…hot cocoa kind of movie.”, she smiled, winced as it hurt her bruise and Loki gave her a sympathetic look, gently ghosting his fingertips over her hurt cheek before he said, “Then I will make us hot cocoa.”

“I’ll get the movie.”, Abby happily chimed and got up whilst Loki crossed over to her kitchen. He had gotten two mugs out, the milk and the cocoa in before it occurred to him that he had done all that automatically. For a second he froze, heard Abby rummaging through some cupboard or another to find the movie she wanted to see and allowed himself to think what he should have been thinking days ago, weeks ago even. He had been here for far too long already.

Yet… when he turned around to catch a glimpse of Abby, picking out a DVD and all the time clutching the bag of ice to her bruised face, he felt a pang in his heart, borne from guilt, surprisingly enough, but there was also something else. He knew he had to get the Gem, get all his magical potential back and get out of here, out of her life, it was just… he did not want to.

Was he growing soft? Maybe, he liked the comfort and ease of this life. It was stupid. He could – and should! – be King of Asgard or at least an inferior place like Midgard. And still he was here and found it hard to think of leaving.

“Loki?”, Abby called from the sofa, “Everything okay?”

“Yes.”, he managed, but shook his head. She had been beaten and was hurt, had been crying her heart out in his arms and now she asked him if he was alright? Stubborn, crazy woman…adorable Abby.

Snapping out of these thoughts that were not going to get him anywhere, he argued with himself that this night, he would be there for her, making premature amends for using her to access the Gem later on. For just this one night, he would not think about all that. He was aware that he had told himself the very same thing at the ball when he had been dancing with her, but Loki refused to acknowledge this fact, so he simply ignored it.

Gritting his teeth he realised that he should have been heating up the cocoa long moments before, but he had forgotten about this task. So he now had to be creative in order not to be suspicious. Loki clasped both mugs in his slender hands and concentrated until he felt the warmth of magic tingle his palms. It was not as difficult as it had been a few days ago when he had tried to close the curtains of his room by magic. Maybe it was returning to him by itself and he would not even have to use the Gem. As if… he thought bitterly, but for this one night, he pushed these thoughts away.

Taking the steaming mugs with him, Loki returned to the couch and handed one to Abby, painfully aware of how her fingers brushed against his when she accepted the cup with a grateful smile. He sat down next to her and realised she was looking at him bashfully.

“What is it?”, he asked, caught between concern and the suspicion of a joke.

“Just…don’t laugh.”, Abby asked and he raised his eyebrows in a silent question she answered with a heavy sigh, “It a children’s movie. But it is my favourite.”

Loki shrugged nonchalantly and took a sip of hot cocoa, which made her roll her eyes, but then she asked again: “Don’t laugh.”

“I won’t.”, he said, but then added with a smirk, “At least I’ll try to.”

For this she stuck her tongue out to him and pressed a button on the remote. The drawn image of a forest appeared and music started playing. The reason eluded Loki, but it was a haunting tune, sending shivers down his spine. Even worse was the sombre voice that spoke a narration. Loki sat there transfixed, staring at the screen and listening, goose-bumps covering his arms and shoulders when he heard the narrator say: “Once upon a time in a faraway land, a young Prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the Prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind.“

A frown formed on his brow as he heard this for it somehow touched him, plucked a string in his heart he had not known was there. The narrator spoke of the selfish Prince turning away a beggar woman who had asked for shelter, a deed Loki comprehended, but the beggar was a sorceress and cursed the Prince for his selfishness, transformed him into a hideous Beast. When he saw that the Prince’s life was connected to a magical rose, he understood why Abby loved roses so much, seeing as this movie was her favourite.

He clenched his fists when he heard the condition the Prince had to meet to regain his true form: “If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope.“

What really choked him was the quiet sentence at the end of the short narration: „For who could ever learn to love a beast?”

Why it made his heart ache, he did not know and refused to think about, but instead he glanced at Abby. When the title of the movie appeared, she sighed happily, The Beauty and the Beast. Abby was smiling, already. Loki himself found himself unable to smile, so much had the narration disturbed him. And the song that followed the haunting narration was not to his taste, but he had to grin when the girl, Belle, encountered Gaston. That oaf reminded him so much of his brother he chuckled out loud.

“Do you like it?”, Abby whispered, silently sipping her cocoa and he answered with a smile, “Gaston reminds me of my brother. He is an idiot too.”

She giggled at that and the chill from before was forgotten as Loki saw her happiness. So he, too, sipped his cocoa and lay back into the couch to enjoy the movie.

The song Gaston sang had him chuckling at the hunter’s oafishness, so much reminding him of Thor he piped quietly: “Now I’m sure my brother acted as a model for him…”

Abby laughed again and put the bag of ice aside, snuggling into a blanket, hugging her legs to her chest so that her toes were just a hair’s breadth away from Loki’s thigh when she wiggled them. It felt…strange, but alright.

She quietly sang along when all the dishes made a big show of dinner and the love for detail made Loki smile. But the shivers from before were back when he saw the Beast and Belle attend a ball all on their own. It reminded him too much of their shared dance at the ball, but again the song and especially the words to it made it all even more intense.

“Just a little change, small to say the least, both a little scared, neither one prepared.”, were words he knew would stick with him even years from now. How…? How could a song, a movie touch him so deeply, be so much… like what he felt? It was frightening. He glanced at Abby again, but she smiled contently and mouthed the words in unison with the singer.

He barely held back a snort when he saw how easily mortals were persuaded, but then he thought better of it. Because this was exactly what he now understood as their strength: Hope. No matter their weakness, mortals found hope in the simplest things, like a movie, and just such a simple thing got them up and fighting again. Abby had been crying, now she was smiling, all due to a simple movie that brought her back to her childhood, brought back memories, happy memories.

There was nothing Loki could do against it, he thought of Frigga and of how a book and a spell could give him solace, give him peace. Both were things his mother had shown to him. And it did no longer bother him that she had not really been his mother, for she had been in every way that mattered to him. He found it pathetic, but it was true.

“Oh no…”, Abby’s quiet whisper made him look at her in concern, but she sniffled and pointed at the screen, where the Beast and Belle were talking on a balcony, “The next scene is so… it always makes me cry.”

It was strange. The movie made her cry, yet it gave her hope. It was unnerving, but especially because in his mind, he had to agree with Thor for once: This woman possessed strength Loki had never thought possible.

When he returned his gaze to the screen, Belle left to take care of her father, a crazy notion Loki could not relate with when he thought about Odin, but had to sympathise with when he thought of Frigga. Abby wiped her tears away when the speaking kettle talked to her master and the Beast told her that he had let the girl go: “Because…I love her.”

The anguish in the voice gave Loki goose-bumps, but even more so did the agonised roar the Beast cried into the night when the girl he loved left him. It was heart-wrenching.

Abby sniffled next to him and before he had thought about it, Loki gently put a hand on her shoulder to give it a light squeeze. She smiled at him, but then intently watched the movie again. It came as no surprise for Loki when the mob decided to hunt and kill the Beast, mortals tended to do that. Even Asgardians tended to hate and hunt what they did not understand and so far, no one had understood him. Shaking his head, he cast the thought aside and watched the mob storm the castle, anger rising in his throat. It was just a movie, but the truth of people fearing and hurting, even killing what they did not understand was a painful routine.

When the furniture started a counter-attack, Loki was baffled for a moment, but then laughed out loud along with Abby.

“As a kid, this was my favourite part.”, she whispered and he replied, “I can see why.”

She chuckled, but then grew awfully still when Gaston was on the hunt, all alone and out for the kill. That the Beast did not even defend himself made Loki furious, for it was idiotic to do so. It was ridiculous that the Beast needed to see Belle to fight for his own life, but he could understand that seeing her would help him pluck up his courage.

As the duel between the foolish Gaston who was so much like Thor and the Beast raged on, Loki found himself rooting for the Beast, grinning in triumph as the Beast climbed the roof to get to Belle, the smiles on their faces telling much more than words could ever have. But Abby was biting her lip as if in fear and Loki soon understood why. He winced when Gaston surfaced yet again and stabbed the Beast, but he was satisfied to see the oaf fall to his death in the process.

He averted his eyes when he saw the Beast exhale his dying words and thought it utterly unfair. The condition of the Sorceress had been met, Belle loved him, why was it not enough?

Abby next to him was crying again and he was about to ask her why in the Nine Realms she liked this movie, when suddenly she smiled, never taking her eyes from the events on screen. Watching again himself, Loki saw something happening and surprisingly, he found his heart pounding…with hope. It was ridiculous, but at the moment, he did not care, instead he watched the Beast being transformed back into his former, true self and smiled in content. This was how any ordeal should end, he thought.

Still smiling, Loki watched, even though there was only music playing, but it was the same song that had been played during the private ball and again he listened closely to the lyrics. It was unwelcome, but they got him thinking. What they told was far too close to what he felt, it was haunting… and when he thought about it, he did not like the roll he attributed himself with. At least he did not see himself in the oaf Gaston, but the Beast…

“Abby?”, he mumbled and turned to her to ask her if she thought the same, even if it was foolish to ask, but then he did not. She was asleep. Abby had quietly drifted off to sleep, resting her weary head on his shoulder. And he had not even realised it.

Smiling, Loki shook his head and then gently picked her up to carry her to her bed. He hoped not to wake her, for he knew Abby would not take it too well to be carried, to feel vulnerable, so he gingerly stepped away from the couch. She did not wake up, but snuggled closer against his chest, sighing contently in her sleep as she did so. A similar sigh would have almost escaped his lips, because Abby’s body was pressed so close against his own he could feel the outlines of her shape, her generous curves she hid under layers of roomy clothing. Once again he thought that she really had nothing to hide, but knowing her as he did by know, he was not surprised she did nevertheless. Showing the world how beautiful she was exactly would have gotten her attention she deserved, but did not want for whatever reason. She was fit to be a queen…

Silently, Loki entered her bedroom and chuckled darkly when he found the bed in disarray. Apparently, she had not made it and it was another detail that told him more about her: She tried to appear perfect and unremarkable to the outside, but at home where she felt safe she could let go a little. So she was resourceful. And, as she snuggled against his chest again, also utterly adorable.

Loki laid her down on the bed and pulled the soft blanket over her, gently tucking her in. Smiling to himself, Loki brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and then placed a kiss on her temple.

“Goodnight, Abby.”, he whispered tracing his forefinger down her cheek. Pulling himself together and out of this idiocy, he quickly turned around and left her room, but was considerate enough to close the door silently. He also carefully locked the door to her house before going up to his own little flat. Once there, he threw himself on the bed, fully-clothed, and muttered curses to himself.

He had to do something, yet he was not sure anymore what exactly this something was. The sensible thing to do would be to get the Gem, regain his powers and leave, be done with it. Yet…as foolish as it sounded, he did not want to just leave. Groaning in disgust, at himself and the entire world out there and the Nine Realms on top of it, Loki let his head fall back and muttered another curse. He would have to think this through, come to a decision and a definite one at that. He put his hands behind his head and began. No way would he get any sleep this night.


	11. Chapter 11

In the end, Loki must have dozed off, this he allowed when he opened his eyes blinkingly and saw that it was morning, almost time to get up. Or it would have been, had today not been their day off.

He groaned, wondering how he should come through this day with Abby without doing anything stupid. Maybe… he should just leave, tell her his parents needed him, she would understand that even if it was a lie. Or maybe he should not tell her a single word and just disappear, steal the Gem and be done with it. At the very same moment he entertained that thought, he cast it aside. He would not do that, probably could not even if he tried.

Growling at himself and his inadequacy, Loki got up from the bed and went to the little bathroom to take a cold shower, just as punishment. For he had nothing. No idea what he should do, let alone a decision. He woke up as empty-handed as he had been when he had fallen asleep and it angered him. As did the cold shower, for it did not have the torturing effect he had hoped for. The perks of being a Frost Giant… or not.

Frustrated, he turned off the ice-cold water that had done nothing to cool his anger down, nothing. That much had been clear, for he was a Frost Giant after all, but he did not look like one. He looked like an Aesir and even the most hard-boiled warriors of Asgard would have been at least shivering in such cold water. But he… nothing. He was no Frost Giant, not truly, neither was he an Aesir and most of all he was no mere human.

Biting his lip, Loki forbade himself to go there again, to plummet back into that abyss of dark thoughts that had almost destroyed him before he had found the Tesseract… who had done the same thing, just even more cruelly. But even though he tried to refrain from it, his mind wandered back as he dressed with harsh movements. He was neither a Frost Giant, nor an Aesir. For them, he was nothing. For the mortals, he should have been a God, but he was not. And neither could he be one of them. It was his predicament, his fate he could not escape, he was nothing, meant nothing to anyone. Except maybe Abby.

That thought startled his still drowsy mind. Looking around, he realised that he had automatically entered the house, her kitchen even to get himself breakfast. His feet had found their way on their own as if they had been supposed to do this.

Shaking his head, once again realising that he had to figure out what to do, Loki switched the coffee machine on with a flick of magic, listened to its gurgling while he sighed and allowed his drowsy mind to wander. Did he really mean something to Abby? Even more importantly, did she mean something to him? Yes. Something. Just what it was, he did not know… or did not dare accept.

But even without his permission, his mind returned to the movie they had watched last night and a smile appeared on Loki’s lips while he took two mugs out of the cupboard. He was thinking of that haunting tune, the song that had meant so much to him and before he knew it, he was quietly humming the tune whilst pouring coffee and then quietly sang the words: “Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were…wrong.”

He hesitated at the last word and almost dropped the coffee pot. Had he been wrong? The entire time? No, impossible. Yet… he had thought mortals worthless when clearly Abby was not, so maybe he had just not seen their strength, just as Thor had told him. No, his oaf of a brother – foster brother anyway! – could not have been smarter than him. That was impossible, the mere thought outrageous!

Snorting, he put the pot and the mug down a tad too forcefully, spilling hot coffee over his hand in the process. Wincing, Loki stepped back and heard: “You have to cool it.”

Again he gave a violent start, for he had not heard Abby approach.

“Come on.”, she gestured, but when he did not react, she gently took his slightly burned hand and directed it to the sink, pouring cool water over the burn.

“There’s no need.”, Loki muttered, but she smiled at him, “Maybe not, but it doesn’t hurt, does it?”

No, that he had to admit. But looking at her, seeing the dark bruise her stepfather had left on her cheek, gave him another idea. Turning off the water, Loki gently touched her bruised cheek and blurted his idea out before he thought about it: “And I have to make sure you are not hurt again, you have to learn to defend yourself.”

Abby stared at him then shook her head, mouthing: “How…?”

“I can teach you.”, he offered, “There are a few techniques to be used against physically stronger opponents. I am not a fighter myself, you can see that, but I can pull my own weight.”

“But…?”, Abby stuttered, however, Loki gave her no opportunity to object, “And so can you. Let’s eat, you will need your strength. Then I will show you some of the techniques I was talking about.”

Abby obeyed his words, but her mood was clearly subdued during her breakfast and she said next to nothing and ate barely more.

“I will not hurt you.”, Loki told her, in the very same moment regretting having said so and biting his tongue. That was a promise he was not likely to keep. He had no reason to think he even could.

“Okay…”, Abby mumbled shyly, “I’ll get dressed for sports.”

Finishing his breakfast alone, Loki made a mental list of what he would teach her and he was sure it would help her should her stepfather threaten her ever again. Or if anyone else would. However, he was not sure she would be able to act on the advice he was going to give her, for it would be just like Abby to feel sorry for someone who had just threatened her.

With a sigh, Loki got up and found her ready, albeit still wary.

“Alright, we will need a little room for this.”, he said and Abby silently led the way to a room that was completely empty. At Loki’s curious glance, she bashfully explained: “Mom always hoped that I would marry and my family come live with her. This… would have been the nursery.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between them and instantly Loki knew that she had hoped her mother’s dream had come true. And it reminded him of the day Frigga had jokingly asked him whether she would ever be able to hold her grandchildren in her arms.

Loki cleared his throat and in order to distract them both, he began his lesson: “A stronger, bigger opponent will rely on physical strength to beat you. You have seen as much.”

Abby winced and her hand darted to her bruised cheek, but then her eyes hardened and she nodded, so Loki continued: “But physical strength is by far not the greatest strength there is. What is, Abby?”

He shot this question at her, knowing that the sudden demand of a reply would get him an honest answer. Nevertheless it surprised him when she immediately said: “Loyalty.”

“No.”, shaking his head in confusion, Loki glared at her and listed: “The greatest strength you can have is a combination of knowledge, wisdom, and intelligence.”

Abby blinked at him, not understanding, so he added: “Knowledge is power. You have to know your opponents’ weaknesses, be wise to exploit them at the opportune time, and intelligent to exploit them correctly.”

She nodded, but then grimaced and asked: “How do I do that?”

“By using their own strength against them.”, Loki told her, “Stronger opponents are also heavy. Once they have gained momentum, they cannot stop or change their direction as easily as you can. So you have to use their strength and weight against them.”

“Their momentum.”, Abby stated and her face lighted up, “Physics.”

“Yes.”, he said and showed her how to utilise a punch like the one that had hurt her yesterday by sidestepping, grabbing the opponent’s hand and yanking them into the direction of their punch, throwing them off balance by this and buying time to start a counter attack.

“Or to run away.”, Loki allowed as Abby paled visibly at the notion of a counter-attack, so he chose to tell her about evasive tactics.

“So, practice.”, he prompted and slowly swung at her, giving her the time to get the movements straight. The better she got, the more he increased speed and strength of his blows. She was afraid, he could see that clear as day, but she also trusted him not to hurt her. When Loki thought she was ready to deal with a punch in honest, he aimed for her shoulder, knowing that he would be able to stop should she fail. Instead, he found himself almost dashed against the opposite wall before he was able to think again.

“I’m so sorry!”, Abby cried, “Are you hurt?”

“No…”, Loki muttered and turned around to her, grinning broadly, “I stopped just short of smashing my nose into the wall.”

Abby’s eyes went wide at that and he laughed: “You did well. Again.”

She stared at him bewildered and Loki teased: “What, you think you already mastered that one? Alright, then we move on to the next lesson.”

“No!”, Abby stopped him, then bashfully added, “I would like to try again. Please.”

“My pleasure.”, he replied and they continued with this defence, then moved on to others he had found exceptionally useful against Volstagg and Thor whenever he had been forced to train with them instead of being allowed to spend the day with his mother in the library. Abby was already panting slightly, but she was determined and her fear of hurting him gradually subsided. Once or twice her counter-attacks had really hit home and Loki was sure he would find a bruise on his back the next day. But her confident smile after she had thrown him over her shoulder was all the compensation he needed.

“Now, one last thing.”, Loki began, his breath also laboured by now, “If someone surprises you by sneaking up behind you.”

Abby nodded and with an implicitness that startled him, she turned her back at Loki, allowing him to grab her as an attacker would. She trusted him this much?

“Loki?”, she asked over her shoulder when he remained rooted to the spot, “Is something wrong?”

“No…”, he mumbled, but what he thought was that he had been wrong. For all his life he had thought such blind trust a weakness, a few weeks ago he would have stabbed anyone foolish enough to turn their back on him in the very same back and he would have done so with a smirk. But now… he could not help but feel touched by such trust. It was odd.

Shaking his head to regain his self-control, he approached Abby and loosely put his arms around her as if to restrain her.

“Now…”, he began, but had to clear his throat when he smelled Abby. Yes, they were both warmed up by now, but he had not anticipated…this. He had to get this over with quickly, so he told her: “When someone restrains you like this, check for the arm that is higher, around your shoulders. It thereby exposes the ribcage and you can thrust your elbow against your attacker’s ribs.”

“Ouch.”, Abby commented and he nodded, “Exactly. And that is also why I do not want you to try this. You’ve already beaten me up quite thoroughly.”

She winced when he said that and turned halfway around without stepping away from him: “Really? I’m sorry, why didn’t you say…?”

“I’m alright, relax.”, Loki reassured her and took a step back. The concern in her eyes was unnerving, so he added, just to distract: “When both your attacker’s arms are around your shoulders, thrust both elbows into his ribs with all your might. If both arms are around your forearms, trapping them against your sides, step on their feet or hit your heels against their shinbones. That ought to loosen their grip, then you can use your elbows. Or anything that hurts them, basically.”

Abby giggled lightly at that and asked, honestly astonished: “How did you learn all that?”

“I grew up with a brother very much like Gaston, remember?”, Loki joked and they both smiled, but then she said, “Still, but did you actually have to use all that? I mean…”

“Was I ever in danger and did that save me?”, Loki guessed and she nodded shyly, so he told her the tiniest portion of the truth, “I had to use this knowledge from time to time, yes. And it helped me.”

He left unspoken that he had only used those defensive moves in training, but on the battlefield had had his magic to aid him. But how should he explain that to her? He would not, could not.

“Wow.”, Abby breathed and then mumbled, “I hope I never have to use it, though.”

So did he, yet Loki replied harshly: “You may very well have to. There are dangers out there, Abby. Your stepfather was the least of them.”

She winced, but then objected nevertheless: “I don’t think so. There is bad in this world, yes, but mostly good.”

“Mostly?”, Loki echoed her words unconvinced and blinked at her in disbelief, but she whole-heartedly nodded and smiled, “Yes. I mean, there is flowers, birds, rain, wonderful people…”

“Like Julian?”, Loki interrupted sarcastically and Abby stuck her tongue out at him with a grin before she countered, “Not Julian. You.”

His whole body tensed at that one simple word. She thought him a wonderful person? She was so, so wrong. And one of these days, he would have to break it to her.

“Abby…”, he began unsure what to say, but she smiled and said happily, “I met you on one of my worst days, in the middle of Queen Mary’s Garden. And you helped me. Don’t tell me you’re a bad person, you might think that, but you’re wrong. You aren’t.”

Loki closed his eyes in disbelief and utter, horrible shame. It was overwhelming and unexpected, but he actually felt shame, not for failing in his attempt on dominating Midgard, but for the attempt itself. He wanted to shout at her that he was responsible for the injuries and deaths of many a hundred people in Stuttgart and New York and Gods knew where else, but he felt too weary to think of anything. And he dreaded the look he would see on her face once she learned his true self.

“Abby, I am not…”, he started again, yet knew there was no merit to be gained from this attempt. And he was spared the shame of coming up empty-handed, silver tongue turned to lead, when the shrill sound of her telephone ringing interrupted the uncomfortable silence.

“Hold on to that thought.”, Abby asked of him with a grin, so sure she was right and that he was in fact a good person, before she dashed off to answer the phone. Loki followed her wearily, but could not stop his mind from firing questions at him. Did she really think the world was good? Did she really, honestly think he was good, he of all people? And would she survive learning the truth eventually? He should not care about any of this, but he did, there was no use arguing against this.

When Abby spotted him, she gestured to him to come and then put the caller on speaker as she asked: “Now, Mary, tell me again. What happened?”

“I don’t know!”, Mary exclaimed, her voice frantic and Loki was sure he heard tears in the quiver of her speech, “I was just down in the cellars, ya know, minding my own business…”

Abby pinched the bridge of her nose and with a strained voice asked: “You did not bring a boyfriend again.”

“No!”, Mary cried in high dudgeon, but from Abby’s tone Loki guessed that it was not unheard of, however, the young girl’s words sounded urgent and sincere, “I swear to God, there’s something in there.”

Loki immediately thought of the Gem. It had moved objects before, but it was in the vault, high above the cellars. If it was able to move something down there…it had to have become stronger, but how?

“Think, Mary.”, Abby tried to calm her assistant down and to rationalise, “Maybe there is just someone in there, Doctor Seward for example?”

“No!”, Mary sobbed, “I asked them, I checked. No one is in there! There’s just this…rattling.”

Abby glanced at Loki and he nodded, mouthing: “We will come.”

“Calm down, Mary.”, she tried again, but was interrupted, “No, this is bloody scary, I tell ya! Couldn’t you… check or something? Or maybe Loki, he was so brave with the Gem when that rattling and shaking occurred…”

At this he arched an eyebrow and watched Abby roll her eyes impatiently, but her voice was perfectly calm and polite when she said: “We are on our way. Stay put.”

She hung up and asked bewildered: “What could that be? Honestly?”

“I am…not sure.”, he said, but again, just like the first time the Gem had shown its magic, Abby did not buy the explanation of an earthquake or his feigned ignorance, so he distracted her, “Moreover, as the apparent hero, I have to go in there anyway and laugh in the face of danger.”

Abby snorted and darted off to get changed, but over her shoulder she told him: “She fancies you, you know?”

“Hmm?”, Loki asked, feigning ignorance yet again that was immediately seen through again, too, “Mary. I can’t stand her rambling any longer about how handsome and incredible you are.”

Surprised, but pleased Loki smiled to himself and thought of a suitable rebuttal until he finally decided on saying: “Well, the girl got that much right.”

“That was mean!”, Abby called out to him, but he heard her laughing as she did so. A moment later she reappeared and the sweatpants and roomy t-shirt were gone, replaced by an equally roomy blouse and black pants that hid almost everything Abby had to show. He still did not understand why she could not allow anyone to really see her beauty. As soon as he had had the thought, he cast it away and followed her silently to the museum.

It did not take them long, but all the while Abby was speculating about what could be happening. When they rounded the last corner, Loki suggested: “Let’s wait and see.”

Upon entering the Museum, Abby headed straight for the stairs down to the cellars, but was of course stopped by Julian. Loki barely kept a hold on himself, but he growled lowly as the other man sneered: “Isn’t this your day off, Abby? Couldn’t wait to see me again?”

The glare Abby shot him for these words made Loki’s heart rejoice, but even more so did her response, calm, yet firm: “If you don’t mind, I have important matters at hand and no time for you. Never you.”

Saying no more and leaving the buffoon staring at her in utter bewilderment, Abby stormed off down the stairs. Loki flashed the awe-struck Julian a quick and joyful grin before following Abby, but even before he could speak, she laughed heartily and told him over her shoulder: “That was a thrill!”

“See? I told you so form the start.”, Loki replied and she giggled, “Yes, you surely did, but I didn’t believe it. But truly, people like Julian do not deserve any better.”

For this statement, as true as it was, he stared at her and as she realised his gaze on her, shooting him a sceptical look, Loki asked in mocking earnest: “Who are and what have you done to my Abby?”

The words were out before he could stop them, so he just hoped she would miss what he had not wanted her to hear. And apparently she did, for Abby only rolled her eyes with a sigh and answered: “You have yourself to thank for that. You made me do that.”

“But you enjoyed it.”, Loki countered and she glanced at him, before silently, bashfully admitting, “I did.”

Immediately upon his grin, she defended herself: “He deserved it!”

“He deserves a lot more.”, Loki allowed with a smirk, “But you did well for an apprentice in the fine art of mockery and insult. Do not worry, you will learn.”

“Yeah.”, Abby mumbled unenthusiastically, “Go, me!”

As a reply, Loki snickered and she joined him, but their laughter quieted when they reached the foot of the stairs.

“Mary?”, Abby called after her assistant, but the cellars remained silent. Dark and musty, there were a lot of shadows to hide in and Loki glanced around warily. If someone was to attack them…

“There you are!”, a voice shouted and they both winced as Mary dashed to them from behind some shelves laden with a wide variety of things Loki was not able to distinguish before the young girl practically ran into him. The wind was almost knocked from his lungs and it took him a moment to understand that she was hugging him.

Pushing her away, gently enough not to shove her, but determinedly so that she would get his point, Loki asked her in barely hid annoyance: “What happened?”

“I dunno!”, Mary said, her lower lip trembling, “But I’m so glad you’re here!”

Without looking at her, Loki knew that Abby was desperately trying not to roll her eyes again and her voice sounded strained when she asked: “Where is the rattling coming from, Mary?”

“Huh?”, the assistant asked her, tearing her gaze away from Loki’s mouth and it annoyed him to no end. What was this mere mortal thinking?

“Uhm…back where the uncatalogued pieces of pottery are…”, Mary finally managed to say and Loki quickly nodded at Abby, silently asking her to lead the way. Within an instant, they were off and he heard the sigh Abby exhaled before muttering: “She just cannot stay focused…”

“Can you blame her?”, Loki asked sincerely and as she shot him a bewildered glance, he teased, “I mean, she was so caught up in admiring me, she couldn’t think anymore.”

“Yes.”, Abby hissed, “I bet in her mind she was already taking off your underwear…”

She fell abruptly silent and Loki smirked. Was that jealousy? His grin faded when he asked himself why in the Nine Realms he liked the thought of Abby being jealous over him and he refused to think about the explanation that immediately presented itself, so instead he distracted: “How do you know she had to? Maybe I’m not wearing any…”

Even in the dark twilight of the cellars, Loki saw her intense blush and she choked on the insinuation, coughing heavily while he laughed.

A faint rattling ahead of them stopped all sounds they made and they both listened intently. Abby fumbled in her purse and produced an electric torch which she flashed at the shelves to their left and right.

“I always loved it here, but now it’s a bit…spooky.”, Abby muttered and then idly recited something, “’Tis the wind, and nothing more.”

“The wind?”, Loki asked, shaking his head and Abby replied, “The Raven.”

“I beg your pardon?”, he whispered over the gentle rapping down the narrow corridor they were in and she replied in a hushed voice, “Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven”. It’s a beautiful poem, calms me down. I can lend you my copy.”

Loki frowned at the notion, clearly not wishing to read about a Raven when he had had the disputable pleasure of meeting both Hugin and Munin during his life in Asgard. It seemed like a dream long since forlorn.

The rattling in front of them grew louder and Abby winced when one of the boxes to their left moved and inch, pushing one of its corners over the edge of the shelf.

“How…?”, Abby asked, but then squared her shoulders and together they approached the box. Loki had a faint idea of what was in there, but he refused to believe it. Ever since they had come into the vicinity of the Museum, he had felt the strong waves of magic radiating from it, stronger than the Purple Gem in the vault had ever been, so he had thought that it had somehow grown stronger. Now he feared that the Gem had called forth a sibling.

Abby was a tad too short to reach the box and Loki would not have wanted her to get her hands on it anyway, so he lifted it down and carefully examined it. It was a box artistically fashioned from clay, its carvings long since encrusted with grime and dirt of decades, maybe centuries.

“This is from a Celtic tribe.”, Abby stated and pointed to the carvings he could barely see, but recognised as she mentioned them, “La-Tène-era. If I remember correctly, this particular piece was found in Switzerland.”

Where it had been found, Loki did not care in the slightest, for he was sure that its origin was much older than any culture Abby could ascribe the contents of the box to. With a wary sigh, Loki tenderly lifted the lid from the box and would have almost toppled over had he not been prepared for the surge of magic that emanated from within. He had to get this box far, far away from Abby. But too late…

Before he could get it out of her reach, Abby curiously peered over the edge of the box, pointing the light at the content. Loki was not entirely surprised when he saw it. Within the box lay a Gem of purest, deepest green and a magical energy of the same quality he had felt in the Tessearct, the Aether and the Purple Gem in the vault. This was another sibling and felt slightly different, but unmistakably the same.

“What is this?”, Abby mumbled in awe, “It… it has some connexion to the Gem, it has to have! But they were found miles apart, originated from times centuries apart, how…?”

Loki wished to snatch the Gem from her and fling it into the deepest abyss he could find on Midgard, but Abby carefully replaced the lid and decided: “I will study this in the vault.”

“No!”, he demanded sharply, but she merely blinked at him in confusion and shock, so he softened his tone, “I… just do not think it a good idea to keep the two of them in such close proximity. Both are valuable specimen and should not be easily obtained if some intruder managed to get into the vault…”

It was a lame excuse and he was aware of its deficiency as well as he knew that she also thought so. But he could not possibly tell her the truth that two magical artefacts as powerful as those two Gems and connected on top of it should be nowhere near each other. Especially not if one was able to call to the other.

“You know…”, she allowed and peered into the box again, “You are right. We will store this one away so I can study it unhurriedly. I have to inform Doctor Seward, but I will ask him to keep the matter quiet so as not to attract too much attention.”

“That is a very wise idea.”, Loki breathed in relief and they heard Mary call faintly, “Have you found anything?”

They exchanged a glance and as Loki opened his mouth to tell the assistant a lie, Abby beat him to it: “We did find a rat. Now it’s gone, but the rattling stopped.”

Surprised to the core Loki stared at her, but Abby left him there and returned to Mary, clutching the box to her chest, so he hurriedly followed her. He was aghast at how easily Abby had told this lie. True, she had not looked Mary in the face when she had done so, but…

“Just a rat?”, her assistant asked exasperated, “And I almost peed my panties! What’s that?”

Pointing at the box, Mary curiously tried to identify it and Loki was again surprised as Abby told her matter-of-factly, yet utterly untruly: “An old specimen I had wanted to get anyway, so it was a good opportunity. Maybe I can get to cataloguing some of it.”

He could do nothing but stare at Abby aghast at the ease of the lie. When she had fended off Julian, he had been glad about her repartee, but this…it concerned him as it was totally unlike her.

Nevertheless, he quietly followed Abby without a second glance at Mary and swore to watch her closely. He could not, under any circumstances whatsoever, allow the Gems to do to Abby’s mind what the Tesseract had almost done to his. He would not lose her.

“Where will you put it?”, Loki asked and ignored Mary’s confused stare next to them. Instead he leaned closer to Abby and firmly told her: “I want it stored away from you.”

“Why?”, Abby muttered and shot him a look as if she believed him insane, “Do you even realise what this implies?!”

He had a pretty good idea what one Gem could do to a person’s mind as strong as his, let alone two Gems combined to a mere mortal sanity. But as he remained silent, Abby added fervently: “The Gems were found far apart from each other, in terms of time and space both, yet they are clearly connected. They do not look the same, but they…feel the same, somehow.”

Loki could only stare at her, for this sounded as if she was able to feel their magic just like he did. But that was impossible. Yet, his resolve remained unchanged and he pressed again: “Where will you store it?”

“There is a cabinet in the back room, opposite the vault. It is hidden, but more easily accessible, for convenient storage while ongoing study. Is that safe enough for your liking?”

Barely, he thought, but he could not tell her the reason for his aversion to the Gems. At least the Green Gem would not be in her office, so for that much, Loki was glad. But it was not enough, even though he gruffly told Abby: “It will suffice. But do not study it alone.”

“Why not?”, Mary asked, then clamped her hands over her mouth, “You don’t think it is a talisman, calling forth another earthquake? Or maybe a flood? It is a different colour…”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”, Abby snorted, more sharply than Loki had ever heard her talk to her assistant before, “There is no such thing as magic. Magic is just science we don’t understand, but we will.”

“Uh-huh.”, Mary muttered unconvinced, “You don’t know nothing about magic cuz you’ve never been in love.”

Abby winced at this and shot Loki a glance of utter shame and embarrassment. Then she told Mary: “Affection is not magic, it is science and biology as well.”

When she finished her words, they reached the top of the stairs and Abby pushed the door open with enough enraged force to batter an unlucky fool behind it almost to death. There was no one although a victim had not bothered him. But what troubled him deeply was Abby’s carelessness. This was so unlike her it almost scared Loki.

He followed her into the direction of the vault, but as he saw that Mary was still with them, Loki snapped at her: “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

She almost stumbled at his harsh tone and Abby added calmly, yet perceivably impatient: “There still is the matter of the experts on whose feedback I am waiting. Could you check the mail again for their letters?”

“O-okay.”, her assistant stuttered and left them, at which Abby sighed exasperatedly and unlocked the door to the back room.

“Abby.”, Loki began, but she carelessly spoke over her shoulder, “I’ll begin with this right away.”

“No, you will not.”, Loki insisted and this got her attention. She put the box down on a working table and turned around to him: “Why not, pray tell me.”

“Because…”, Loki began, but now felt uncomfortable under her gaze, “It is our day off. You have worked hard and gotten the museum a new exhibition. At least enjoy your spare time.”

This did not convince her, so he quickly added: “We have not finished our self-defence lessons.”

He was grasping for straws, he knew it, but he wanted to deter her from examining the Gem for as long as he could. Abby saw right through it and Loki frowned in anger. What was it about this woman that he could not lie to her as easily as to everyone else?

“Alright.”, she slowly said, “There are also some records about the era the box is from which I have to get from home. Just let me store it away. Then we’ll tell Doctor Seward and we’re off.”

“Good.”, Loki said relieved and he knew Abby was storing this bit of information also away, saving it for puzzling his suspicious behaviour later on. He would have to think of a feasible lie to tell her, but for now he had bought himself some more time to do so. Loki carefully watched her store the Gem away and clenched his fist when he saw that the key to the cabinet was, unsurprisingly, at the lanyard around her neck. But other employees were sure to also have access and he had some of his magic, he would be able to get to the Green Gem one way or the other. And if he could not succeed in destroying it, he could at least pretend that it had been stolen and rid himself of it by hiding it far away from Abby.

“Let’s go.”, she announced that she was ready and he followed her, still amazed at the thought that Abby’s sanity was more important to him than his magic, more important than he had thought it could be. No matter, he decided while he waited for her to tell Doctor Seward about their latest find, he could always go back to the Purple Gem to drain its power. Even though he knew in his heart that he could have done so long ago, but he shrunk back from it out of fear that this one would do to him what the Tesseract had done. He was not sure he could go through this again.

When Abby emerged from Doctor Seward’s office and smiled at him, Loki’s resolve was strengthened again. Whatever it took, he would not let Abby face the maddening influence of the Gem unaided. This he vowed to himself and in silence, yet he knew he would keep true to his word, very unlike his word that he would exploit the Gem’s powers. But this time, he would keep his word.

“Let’s go.”, he asked of Abby and together they left the museum.


	12. Chapter 12

Frantic, Loki glanced at the clock in the hall of the museum and then, appalled at the time, he muttered under his breath: “Where is she?”

In the morning, Abby had already left the house when he had woken and all he had found was a note stating that she had gone to work early. He had feared that she had returned to the Green Gem again, since she had spent almost every minute of the last two days studying it.

But not once had she been late for a guided tour. And never since he had known her had she been late for anything.

Mary walked by and Loki stopped her, but she did not give him any opportunity to talk as she greeted him: “Hey, how are you?”

“Where is Abby?”, he asked and ignored her indignant pout for he did not care for her fancies in the slightest.

“Dunno.”, she shrugged unhappily and so he gruffly added, “She will be late for the tour.”

At first Mary looked at him blankly, but when she really saw his attire, the Loki costume, she softly said: “Oh. Now that would be a first…”

“I figured.”, he snarled and started off towards Abby’s office, but Mary called after him, “She ain’t in there.”

“She is not…?”, he asked and then knew for sure where she was, with the blasted Gem in the back room.

“Oh, but your guests are. Uhm…”, Mary pointed awkwardly to the meeting point at the entrance to the Viking exhibition and then asked, “Shall I go get her?”

Loki was torn for a moment. Should he let the visitors wait, something Abby would clearly not like – at least if she had been in her right mind – or should he cover her this one time? And rip her to shreds afterwards, he thought darkly, but knew he would not lay a finger on her.

“No.”, he then decided exasperatedly, “I will deal with them. Just keep Doctor Seward busy if he decides to show up.”

“Okay.”, Mary shrugged and popped a lollypop into her mouth, “But he’s in a meeting in Greenwich, will take all week.”

Good, so at least this would not harm her career, but Loki thought better of it and added: “Keep Julian busy, too.”

“No problemo.”, Mary cheered and Loki shook his head. Why that girl liked spending time with that imbecile would remain forever a mystery to him, but he did not care. He wanted to get to Abby, to get her away from the Gem. But first, he had to cover up her lapse.

So Loki plastered a smile onto his face he had perfected in all his years in Asgard; it looked like a perfectly happy smile, as if he wanted nothing more than to be exactly where he was, when on the inside all he wanted to do was run away.

“Welcome to our tour.”, Loki greeted the visitors and then proceeded to do the tour on his own. He had to improvise his entrance as Loki the God of Mischief, but he managed that smoothly. Some of the information the guests enquired, he sadly lacked, but referred them to the Museum’s gift shop to acquire books to the various topics. Not only was he covering for Abby, the sales might even go up on his watch.

The rest of the tour he got through without enthusiasm, but as well as he could and the visitors seemed happy enough, so he was reasonably pleased with his effort. As soon as the last of them was out of sight, Loki spun around snarling and headed to the back room with the vault and the workbenches.

The door was locked and it infuriated him to no end, but a quick blast of magic opened the lock within an instant. He had barely kicked the door shut behind him when he angrily called: “Abby!”

He elicited no reaction, but that did not come entirely as a surprise when he saw Abby sitting at a work bench, her head bent low over the Green Gem. Without another word, Loki towered over her and, as she failed to notice him, banged his fists into the bench, startling Abby.

“Good Lord!”, she called, panting, “Loki, what is wrong?”

“Pray tell me.”, he snarled, “As there is obviously something wrong with you.”

“What are you talking about?”, Abby stuttered and got up, her lip trembling in shocked disbelief, but in his rage Loki did barely see it as he shot at her, “You had an assignment today, remember?”

Wincing, Abby first glanced at his attire, then her watch and she cried: “We are late for the tour!”

With that she ran towards the door, but Loki grabbed her arm and held her in place next to him as he growled: “No, you were late for the tour. I did it on my own.”

She blinked up at him, relief in her eyes, but Loki was still furious. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair dishevelled as if she had not taken the time to properly comb it in the morning. And she wore the same clothes she had worn for two days in a row now. She was slacking off.

“Thank you for covering for m…”, Abby began, but Loki cut her off, “When did you come here?”

She did not respond immediately and he tightened his hold on her upper arm, making her wince, but for once he did not care.

“I-in the morning.”, she mumbled, “About seven… you’re hurting me.”

He let her go, but he was still furious, so he demanded: “Pack that Gem away and never touch it again.”

“What?”, she asked aghast, “No, I can’t…”

“You can and you will!”, Loki commanded, but she shook her head, weakly defending her cause, “No. There are many discoveries yet to be found. This is too important.”

“It is not.”, Loki firmly said, “Put it away or I will make you.”

She stared at him and for the first time, he saw fear in her doe-eyes. He had always known that one day he would hurt her, but he had never thought that he would do so while trying to help her.

“Why would you do that?”, Abby asked, tears forming in her eyes and Loki snapped, “Oh, I don’t know! Maybe because that thing is messing with your head?!”

She winced and stared at him, still afraid and startled, but Loki knew that whatever he did, he would only hurt her more, so he allowed his fury to blindly rage on: “This thing, as well as the Purple Gem, is dangerous. Open your eyes. Do you really think that was an earthquake when your sponsor viewed the Gem? Do you think that box was almost pushed from the shelf by a rat? Do you really not see that this thing has become an obsession of yours within merely two days? An obsession that is dangerous, imperilling your career at the museum. You may think it was important, but it can never be more important than you are. How can you allow it to make you so much less than you actually are?”

All she did was staring up at him and Loki was tense all over from his rage he could barely contain.

“Why?”, Abby whispered and Loki burst out, “I don’t know! But you cannot stay here with it, you totally forgot the tour, have you even eaten anything? I will not leave you here.”

“Why…are you so angry?”, Abby repeated her question and even through the thick cloud of rage Loki sensed that she had initially wanted to ask a different question and it perplexed him for a moment. But then he spoke without thought and from the bottom of his heart: “I am angry because this is not you. This, the Gem, is not good for you. You are tired, you are suffering and I cannot stand to see you like this. Because I care for you.”

A dead silence fell after those words. Loki’s heartbeat was far too loud in his chest and on the brink of painful. A distraction was needed, but he knew that it was in vain, those words, this confession would come back and haunt him, yet he asked Abby, gently this time as all his anger had dissipated: “Please, being holed up with that Gem all on your own is not good for you. Let us take the rest of the day off, start the weekend early. Let’s go look at the roses, get some tea and a flapjack. You have to get out of here for a while.”

Abby looked at him, still stunned as it seemed, and then gingerly smiled: “You are right. We’ll go.”

“Good.”, Loki breathed and approached the workbench, “Go get your coat, I will store the Gem away for you.”

He would do no such thing, he would get rid of the Gem instead.

“You… are not a trained archaeologist.”, Abby mumbled, and he knew his plan was forfeit, so he decided to really just store it away. For now. She watched him closely, but did not stop him, when he picked the Gem up with a soft tissue and put it back in its box, she merely monitored his movements and locked the cabinet.

“Wait.”, she said and looked apologetically at him, “We can’t leave. The tours…”

“Forget them.”, Loki firmly, yet gently told her, “Let Gretchen at the reception tell the visitors that sadly there are no tours today.”

“But…?”, Abby objected and he smiled when he saw her old dutifully self in her appalled gaze, so he replied, “Doctor Seward is out of town and Gretchen still owes you for getting her the job in the first place and me for convincing her grandchildren that museums can be cool. She will help us.”

Abby giggled at that, but then nodded and left with him.

“Where do you think you’re going, Mister?”, Gretchen asked him teasingly and with a smile, Loki turned around to the humorous old lady at the entrance, telling her, “Abby doesn’t feel so well, she’s so worked up and a bit stressed. You know how she is. I figured a nice day out in the town would help her relax.”

“You’ll help her relax alright.”, Gretchen winked at him and he scalded mockingly, “Now now, what are you implying?”

“Nothing much.”, Gretchen teased, but then her tone grew serious when she told him, “I’ve been here for years, thanks to Abby. But I’ve never seen her happy right until the day you entered the picture. Go, make her happy.”

Unsure how to respond to that, Loki hesitated and she shooed him off, but he said: “Thank you. And… I will try.”

Yet he knew that he was bound to fail this request. Yet he plastered a smile on his face as he put an arm around Abby’s shoulders and led her out into the sunshine. Soon his smile was not faked anymore and it was absolutely genuine when they entered the canopy of roses in Queen Mary’s Garden with a cup of tea and a flapjack each, just as he had wanted, and sat down on the very bench they had first truly met.

Abby sighed as she took a sip from her surely scalding hot tea to wash down the huge bite off her flapjack she had taken, and then she bashfully stole a peep at Loki. “I… haven’t exactly eaten anything yet.”, she admitted and he replied darkly, “I figured as much.”

“I have to thank you again.”, she then murmured slowly, “And to apologise. I… do not know what came over me. But you were right, I should not spend so much time and effort studying the Gem. And I was rude. I am sorry, Loki.”

“I am just glad we see eye to eye now.”, he replied and Abby smiled, raising her takeaway cup and joked, “Cheers, mate.”

Loki, too, raised his tea cup and for a moment they sat in silence, engulfed by the scent of honey and roses. Yes, he could almost feel at peace here… maybe a bit bored in a long run, but Midgard was not as bad and debased as he had initially thought.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Abby fidget with whatever she got her hands on, her tea cup, the napkin around her flapjack, her scarf… she was nervous. And as if the feeling was contagious, Loki also felt nervousness creep up his spine. They were alone… and he had just told her that he cared for her.

Biting his tongue hard enough to really elicit pain, he racked his brain why in the Nine Realms he had said that. Even if it had been in anger, he should not have, he had known it as soon as the words had been out, but he could not take them back. Or could he…?

Thinking about the possibility of casting a spell to alter her memory, Loki glanced over to Abby who was nervously tapping her foot and looking everywhere but at him. He could, he decided, such a spell was not too hard for him even with impaired magic, he felt up to the task. For a brief moment he considered the question of whether or not he should do it. Frigga would have deemed it wrong…

“Loki?”, Abby addressed him and he gave a start, so deep had he been in thought, “Yes?”

“I…uhm…well.”, Abby hummed, clearly embarrassed, but then waved her words aside, “Forget it. It’s not that important.”

On any other day, Loki would have asked her and pushed the issue surprisingly enough as before he had met her he would not have cared a fig for a mortal’s sorrows. But he remained silent as he thought that he knew just what she had wanted to ask him and he was not prepared to answer her question just yet. Maybe he would never be ready for it.

“Let’s go.”, Abby said with a shiver and rubbed her arms, “It’s getting cold.”

Of course, he had not felt the chill of the oncoming evening despite sitting there only in a shirt and jeans.

“How do you even do that?”, Abby muttered angrily and he looked at her baffled, not sure what he had done wrong to deserve such a tone when she added, “How come you’re never cold?”

“I… just don’t feel cold.”, he shrugged lamely and Abby ducked her head to sink into her scarf, nagging in a muffled tone, “Unfair.”

At this Loki laughed and without thought rubbed circles on her back to warm her. Why? As soon as this thought occurred to him, he withdrew his hand and cursed himself lividly for this stupidity.

As his gaze fell on a light pink rose, he found the distraction he needed. One long stride took him to the rose and, with a tiny bit of magic, he cut it from its shrub and with it in hand, he turned around to Abby, presenting her with it as he said: “May this rose be compensation for the unfairness of you having to be cold out here.”

“Loki…!”, she muttered and he frowned. She did look shocked, what had he done wrong now?!

“You can’t just… pick a rose, not in Queen Mary’s Garden…!”

“I just did.”, he smiled at her and stepped closer, “And who was to stop me? No one. Just enjoy the rose, Abby.”

“Well…”, she murmured and shyly accepted the rose from his hand, “Thank you, then.”

Smiling, Loki gestured to the nearest exit and quietly they left, but he caught a glimpse of Abby clandestinely sniffing the rose and smiling to herself.

Their way home was covered in absolute silence, as none of them spoke a single word, but they each snuck awkward peeks at each other. There was a tension whose resolution Loki dreaded deeply. What would he say, what could he say?

With a gruff sigh he decided to feign fatigue and immediately retreat to his room as soon as Abby had unlocked the door. She unlocked it and went straight to the kitchen to put the rose he had given her in a vase and as soon as he had closed the door behind him, Loki began: “I will…”

“Tell me why, please.”, Abby interrupted him softly, not even kicking off her shoes as she got back into the hall with him, just standing there awkwardly.

“W-what do you mean?”, Loki asked, trying to cover the rush of anxiety he experienced with an eloquent rebuttal and failing utterly at this attempt.

“I mean…”, Abby began, but then sighed in disappointed defeat and she kicked off her shoes, obviously looking for words. She did not find any and had already begun to take off her jacket, all in silence, so Loki tried to steal away towards the stairs when she suddenly burst out: “You said you… cared for me. What exactly did you mean by that?”

Loki closed his eyes in defeat. What should he say, what could he say? The truth? A ridiculous idea!

“Abby…”, he whispered faintly and looked at her. She had not taken off her jacket, her arms were still in the sleeves as if she had completely forgotten about wanting to take it off, she just stood there and returned his gaze, a silent plea in her doe-eyes. And fear and loneliness and…too much Loki knew from his own reflection.

All that sadness coalescing in her eyes was too much for him and for the moment it also was all that truly mattered.

Slowly as if himself unsure whether he should do this, but nevertheless determined, Loki stepped closer to her, always watching Abby. When he reached her, he gently cupped her face in his hands, smiling slightly as he saw her insecurity, but she did not retreat when he leaned in to her. Loki did not know just what he had expected, but no fantasy even if he had not denied them would ever have been able to foresee what he felt when his lips brushed against Abby’s. A feeling of need surged through him he had not known before and without thought he kissed Abby again, more firmly this time. When he withdrew slightly, he still kept his hands on her cheeks and whispered: “This is what I meant.”

Her eyes darted from one point of his face to the next in quick succession as if trying to find signs for dishonesty and it made Loki feel a pang in his heart. He had been looked at like this before, but always because someone had truly distrusted him. Abby, however, he was sure, was trying to assess the very same thing he did, whether they could risk being hurt, risk this something of a friendship they had for…this. Whatever it was.

He had made his decision, now he waited for hers. As he did so, both his patience and his trust in his decision faltering, Loki caressed her still slightly discoloured cheekbone and with a cautious smile, Abby leaned into his touch. It was enough encouragement, more than he needed and he pulled her flush against him to kiss her again, delighted when she made a step towards him at the same moment, albeit more tentatively.

The same precaution lay also in her kiss, she was insecure and apprehensive, but Loki was determined to make her forget about such unnecessary misgivings. He smiled against her lips then gently touched them with the tip of his tongue, barely enough to feel her, but by far sufficient to make Abby gasp. She even dropped her jacket.

Chuckling to himself, Loki held her against his chest when she withdrew to catch her breath. Yet her words were still breathless when she peeped up at him and whispered hoarsely: “I have hoped for that, but I did not dare believe it. It is a bit like a dream come true.”

“Already?”, Loki teased and suggestively let his gaze roam over her curves, “There are more dreams to discover.”

Her eyes widened and she gasped again when Loki let his hands slide onto her shirt-covered shoulders under her open blouse and playfully added: “Much more to uncover.”

“Loki…!”, she gasped again, but laughed and did not withdraw when he swiftly pulled the dark green blouse off her shoulders, murmuring, “Much, much more.”

Blushing under his gaze, Abby tried to cross her arms over her chest, but Loki caught her wrists and clicked his tongue: “No. Don’t hide, not from me. I have wanted to see you, really see you for such a long time now.”

“I…”, she bashfully began, but he gently shushed her with a finger on her lips, before he asked, “Let me look at you.”

She averted her eyes, but she nodded and for now, that was all he would get, yet Loki was sure that he would elicit wholly other terms of encouragement from her before the night was done. For now, however, he was content with circling around Abby once, taking in her shape, never taking his hands off her shoulders. He smiled when he saw that she had closed her eyes and was biting her lip, caught between fear and excitement. So for his second round, Loki decided to do a bit more. Instead of touching her shoulders, he gently ran his hand down Abby’s arm while stepping behind her, then he touched her waist and felt her sharp intake of breath as he wrapped one arm around her, holding her firmly in place. Resting his hand on her stomach, he could clearly feel her heart flutter. All for him…

His left hand he ran up her back, feeling her shiver against his touch and he also saw the goose-bumps on her neck when his fingers shortly touched the warm, soft skin there before they ascended to the bun of her hair. As quickly as he had hidden a small scrap of paper in there weeks before he now removed the hair-pins holding her hair up. He had pulled out about half of them and carelessly thrown them to the floor before Abby realised what he was doing. When she did, she tried to turn around to him, but Loki did not let her.

“No.”, he asked her in a whisper, “I have never seen you with all your hair down. Let me see.”

Again he waited for her to nod her assent, then he removed the remaining hair-pins and uncurled the strands of hair, running his fingers through the soft, dark brown waves. This was a beautiful sight and the clean smell of her hair intoxicated him with desire, but it was not enough by far.

Without thought, Loki cupped one of her breasts in his hand and enjoyed how her shocked gasp only made her press her flesh against his palm even more. Abby stuttered something incomprehensible and even though he knew he was getting greedy, Loki pulled her against his chest and kissed the side of her neck while his other hand roamed down her side, sneaking under her shirt.

“Wait…”, Abby barely managed a whisper and he truly did pause, but murmured against her skin, “You don’t really want that.”

Abby merely whimpered, but stopped in a choked gasp when he let his thumb draw small, tender circles on her skin.

“So…”, Loki mumbled between kisses on her neck, “Tell me, Abby. What do you want?”

An insecure panting answered him, as he had expected, and he smirked against her skin before he asked: “What do you want me to do, Abby? Kiss your neck?”

He did just that and felt her shiver, so he added playfully: “Or do you want to feel my tongue on your skin?”

Having asked this, he licked over the sensitive skin just under her ear, making her gasp in his arms. It was exhilarating.

“Or would you rather have me touch you?”, he enquired and ran the hand under her shirt over her stomach to her side and back again, “Here? Or is it better here?”

Saying this, he gave her breast a squeeze and enjoyed how she threw her head back to rest it on his shoulder, her eyes tightly closed and her breath laboured. This was a delightful game.

“Tell me, Abby.”, he said again, “What do you want me to do to you?”

All she did was shake her head and bite her lower lip as Loki cupped her breast a bit tighter, just to elicit a reaction, but she remained silent.

“If you don’t tell me, I will have to find out myself…”, he muttered and without a word of warning slid one hand down into the fabric of her loose dress pants, cupping his hand over the warm wetness he could feel through her underwear. This, finally, earned him a moan and he chuckled into Abby’s ear: “Oh, so this is what you want, am I right?”

She nodded and slowly turned her face to look at him. When she finally opened her eyes, they were filled with lust to the brim and in that instant Loki had no desire to play anymore. A bit too forcefully he leaned down and kissed her, feeling his heart pound when she responded with equal urgency. With a swift motion, Loki bypassed the last bit of fabric separating his hand from Abby’s core and when he touched the slick heat, they both moaned in a surge of desire. He recuperated a tick more quickly and exploited Abby’s still open mouth to delve deeply into it, enjoying the feel of her tongue against his, both hungry and tentative.

Too soon she broke away, but the whimpered moan he got instead when he gently pushed one finger inside her made more than amends for it; and he wanted more. So he rubbed circles, carefully taking note which touch made her squirm in his arms.

Abby was breathing heavily and one of her hands clutched at his thigh whilst the other clamped down on his forearm, as if to stop his caresses. As if he would allow that. No, not now when he had her so close…

“Come for me, Darling.”, Loki whispered in her ear. But she shook her head: “No…”

“No?”, he asked, abashed and took his hands off her as if she had scorched him. Had he… had he crossed a line, gone too far? No…

“I want…”, Abby began and when he tried to withdraw from her, she held him in place, leaning against him, yet not meeting his gaze, “I want to see you too…to feel, well, all of you.”

Loki slowly exhaled the breath he had not known he had held. Taking Abby’s hands in his, Loki teased her with a smirk: “Do you think you can take all of me?”

She blushed heavily and he smiled, pulling her close to kiss her, tenderly and almost innocently this time, but what he had in mind was far from being innocent.

“Come.”, he murmured against her lips and entwined their fingers to lead her to her bedroom. Abby gingerly stepped out of her shoes while Loki carelessly kicked his off his feet which made her giggle. As an enjoyable punishment for that, Loki growled and pulled her flush against him, kissing her deeply although they were still in the hall. That way they would never make it to the bed, so he took her hand again, not giving her the time to catch her breath again.

Once they had entered Abby’s bedroom, Loki closed the door by pushing her against it to kiss her yet again. He could not get enough. And his loins protested against their confinement as his hips thrust against Abby in an unsatisfying imitation of what they really longed for. But it had a wonderful effect nonetheless, Abby gasped and that sound was filled with hunger, with need. Still she did not act on her need and when Loki lifted the hem of her shirt, he felt her reluctance.

Smiling gently, he placed a soft kiss on her lips and then, instead of undressing her first, he pulled off his shirt, dropped his trousers and allowed her to look her fill, take his appearance in. He had never been shy, but she obviously was and so he stood there naked before a still fully dressed Abby who did not even dare touch him. So he approached her, pressed his body against hers and was rewarded with a low moan. But still she kept her hands to herself. This had gone on long enough.

Holding her gaze, Loki directed her hands to his chest, allowed her to feel his heartbeat that thumped in his ribcage. Her eyes widened in amazement and as she stared at him agape, Loki told her in a whisper: “All because of you.”

He kissed her lips, still open in astonishment, and when he took a hold of her shirt’s hem this time, Abby did not stop him. She was still reluctant, but she followed his lead and let her dress pants fall, stepping out of them when they had pooled around her ankles. Loki took a step back to look at her and he could not help but admire her. Now he understood less than ever why she always hid her form.

“You are so beautiful.”, the words slipped out before he could stop them and in all honesty, he would not have stopped them if he had been able to. Especially not after seeing their effect on Abby; she beamed up at him, but then averted her eyes bashfully… and gazed directly at the erect proof of the attraction he felt. Loki expected her to close her eyes or look away… but she looked up at him, confidence in her eyes. It surprised him, but even more so did she when Abby reached out and tenderly ran one finger over the whole length of his erection.

He wanted to let her explore, give her free roam, but instead he found himself kissing her again and tugging at her bra at the same time. He was not familiar with that piece of garment and was of half a mind to just snap it open with magic when Abby took care of that. She shrugged it off, but Loki flung it somewhere behind him into the depths of the room and oblivion before finally he could fill his hands with her breasts. They were heavy and soft, filled his hands perfectly. And the moan he earned by flicking his thumbs over her nipples made him regret he had waited so long for this. Whatever it was, he would not wait much longer.

Loki kissed her lips again, then traced a path over her cheek down her neck to her collarbone and down to the valley between her breasts, still holding them. Abby arched her back into his touch and he smirked, pleased with her reaction, but still determined to get more. And he got it right away in the form of a moan when he closed his lip around a nipple, gently sucking and licking it.

Slowly Loki descended down over her stomach still trailing kisses and his hands stroked over Abby’s sides until he hooked his fingers into the hem of her underwear.

Kneeling before her, Loki looked up, silently asked for her consent and smiled when he received it in a small nod. There he was, kneeling before a mortal… and there was nowhere else he wanted to be at the moment.

When Abby stepped out of her underwear, he saw that her knees were wobbly and smirked to himself. He would make sure that she would not be able to stand at all.

Slowly, he let his eyes roam over her body from her toes up her legs and her voluptuous thighs, the curve of her waist, her breasts over her slender shoulders up to her face and he met her gaze, those doe-eyes of her gleaming with lust. Still, this opportunity was too good for teasing play not to make use of it. So with a smirk that made Abby tense up, he placed a soft kiss on her hip, his hands stroking over her thighs, the curve of her backside while he trailed kisses over her stomach down to her thighs, but always avoiding her loins. Even though he could smell her arousal and wanted nothing more than to plunge in and take her. But he also wanted to play.

Feeling Abby squirm against him was exhilarating and made him smile smugly, as she was clearly eager, yet too shy to say it out loud. No matter, Loki would make her say it.

“Loki…”, came the impatient whimper he had been waiting for and it made him chuckle before he asked, “Yes?”

Abby looked at him, her chest rising and falling quickly with her shallow breaths, but she merely bit her lip instead of speaking what was clearly at the tip of her tongue.

“Tell me.”, Loki nudged her, “What do you want? Another kiss?”

Saying this, he put his lips on her hip again, murmuring against her skin: “Or my tongue?”

She shivered in anticipation, but Loki did not give her the promised caress of his tongue, because that was what she wanted and expected and that would have been no delightful game. So he instead gently stroked over her stomach and teased in a frisky tone: “Or do you desire a wholly different touch?”

Looking up into her face, Loki let his fingers slide between her legs again and smiled when he saw her arch her back at his touch. Effortlessly two fingers glided into her core and Abby moaned, closing her eyes. Just what he had waited for.

Grinning with the joy of taking her totally by surprise, Loki lowered his head and licked over the bundle of nerves between her legs. Abby gasped in shock, and with a muffled voice cried: “Loki…!” His name from her in such a tone… it was better than what he could have dreamed.

She bucked her hips against his mouth and her hands on his shoulders feebly tried to push him away, but Loki did not budge, instead he intensified the caress of his tongue and his fingers alike, wanting her to lose control. Feeling how she gradually did lose it was thrilling and he could not hold back a quiet moan himself when Abby slid her fingers into his hair and balled her fists, grabbing him tightly and holding him in place. So maybe she could not say it, but she wanted him exactly where he was.

He knew she was close when she gasped and shivered in his arms, her fingernails grazing his scalp. And when Loki felt her tense up, she inhaled sharply, at the same time producing the most adorable squeal at the peak of her lust. This woman was a mere mortal, but she was a mystery to him.

Panting heavily, Abby leaned against the door, her head resting against the wood and her eyes tightly closed, when Loki slowly got up, kissing his way up her torso until he reached her lips. She barely responded to the kiss, but was almost desperately struggling for breath.

“Is that what you wanted?”, Loki teased her and her eyes flung open as she blushed heavily. Chuckling, Loki took her hands in his, but Abby withdrew them from his hold and put her arms around his neck, pulling him close to press an almost forceful kiss to his lips, utterly surprising him.

“I… I want you.”, Abby whispered, “Now.”

She then bashfully bit her lip, so hard that Loki was sure she was already hurting herself and he leaned in to gently kiss that bruised lip. She responded to his kiss with urgency derived from her hunger she now finally showed. Nevertheless, Loki stepped back and when she blinked at him, confused, he smirked.

“You want me?”, he then whispered, slowly stepping backwards to the bed as he invited her, “Then take me.”

He had just reached the bed when Abby practically pounced on him, throwing him down onto her mattress with her weight, landing on top of him and knocking the wind from his lungs. Loki chuckled breathlessly and wanted to tease her for her eagerness, but he did not get the chance, for Abby slid her fingers in his hair again and kissed him harshly, taking away what little breath he had left. While he was still trying to recuperate from his bafflement, Abby leaned towards her nightstand, shortly coming back to him and holding a little package in her hand.

“I don’t even know why I have condoms, but…“she mumbled bashfully, but then snorted and impatiently interrupted herself, “Who cares!”

She tore the package open, flinging the litter over her shoulder carelessly and then without the slightest hesitation touched Loki’s throbbing member, making him gasp with lust. What was she doing to him? He could not understand his fierce lust and in the back of his mind, he knew that something was odd about it, but he did not care, could not care any longer when Abby kissed his lips and then leaned back, sheathing his length in her warm, wet core.

Now it was Loki who arched his back, taking in a sharp breath and struggling for control and Abby was the one to smirk down on him. Her hands on his chest, Abby moved against him, with him. And all the while she was looking him straight in the eye, her shyness gone and replaced by lust, but also something deeper…something that made Loki avert his gaze. He tried to find out just what it was, but he lost all coherent thought when Abby directed his hands up her sides and to her breasts, pressing his palms against her flesh, making him feel her heartbeat and every shudder of breath.

Loki clenched his teeth, the only thought he was still capable of that he wanted this to last, but knew he could not. When he looked at Abby, meeting her gaze, it hit him what exactly he saw in the depth of her eyes. Care. Maybe even love.

With a startled gasp, Loki felt himself tense as bliss surged through him and it took him a moment to understand that he had found his release like never before.

Panting breathlessly, he pulled Abby down to him and kissed her, again and again not caring in the slightest that they both had to breathe. He just could not let her go. He wrapped one arm around her waist, his hand on her back pressing her body flush against him and he let his other hand caress her neck, gently tilting her head to kiss her more deeply. He did not understand what he was doing, could not think, but he was desperate without a reason he could fathom. All he knew was that he wanted to hold Abby, feel her as close to him as was possible.

“Relax.”, she murmured gently, but smiled teasingly when he broke their kisses for just a moment, and she stroked over his cheek, “I am not going anywhere. I… really want to be with you.”

Loki sighed and just pressed her tighter against his chest before placing a soft kiss on her temple and he mumbled against her skin: “That is my wish as well.”

“Good.”, Abby chuckled and straightened up to look at him, “That’s… good.”

Her shyness returned and Loki found it endearing somehow, yet he teased: “And it’s good to have you back. Because some minutes before, that can’t possibly have been you.”

She grumbled as a response and then unhappily muttered: “It’s just… I was not sure I could show you how much I… care for you. Because I do, I really do care for you.”

It gave him a painful pang in his heart to hear that, but Loki pushed it out of his mind and smiled at Abby: “I know. Or I figured.”

Again he kissed her, but was interrupted by her yawn, so he teased: “Oh my, you have exploited your strength.”

“I don’t do that often…”, Abby mumbled and blushed, so Loki kissed the tip of her nose and then quietly wished her: “Good night.”

With a longing sigh, Abby sat up and lay down beside him, removing the condom and her touch alone made Loki wince, arousing him again and re-igniting the desire to hold her, so he simply gave in and pulled her close, nuzzling her neck before he placed a kiss on her soft, heated skin.

“Sleep tight.”, Abby mumbled and a moment later, she had fallen asleep in his arms. Never before had he felt this good, for once not alone, not lonely, but wanted. Smiling to himself, he allowed sleep to claim him and met it with a light heart for the first time in years.


	13. Chapter 13

A distant dream lingered in Loki’s mind when he slowly awoke and he dwelled in the happiness he had felt in that dream, tried to slip back into it. And he succeeded, as he thought with a smile and turned to his side, pulling the warm body of a woman closer to his, nuzzling her neck and smelling the sweet, clean scent of her hair, combined with her very own aroma.

Instantly, he truly woke with a violent start. What had he done?

In panic, he glanced over at Abby and felt such a rush of emotion he was not able to sort through all of them. Fear, concern, anger at himself, disgust for his lack of self-control… happiness and longing. This was wrong… but he wanted it more than anything.

Their limbs were still entangled, Abby lying cuddled to his chest so closely that he felt her curves she had hidden for so long and he had finally seen…and touched… last night. He ought never to have done that.

With a silent groan, Loki closed his eyes and shut out the thoughts rushing into his mind. But it was no use, he had to act and, due to his own stupidity, he had to do it now, right away.

Looking at Abby, again, he felt a painful pang in his heart and tried bargaining with himself, just for another minute, just one more kiss… but he forbade himself these thoughts and quietly slipped out from under the covers, silently looking for his clothes, hoping, almost praying that she would not wake.

Fully dressed, Loki looked down at her still peacefully sleeping form and his resolve crumbled. He was just about to throw caution to the wind – again – and had already bent down to kiss her awake, but stopped himself at the very last moment. No.

“Goodbye, Abby.”, he whispered then quietly proceeded through the house and erased every trace there was of him, packed what little worldly possessions he called his own in a backpack and changed back into his attire he had brought with him from Asgard. No use hiding anymore, he would grab the purple Infinity Gem, no, both the green and the purple one, regain full use of his magic and then… what? He did not even know what he wanted to do… apart from going back to bed with Abby and stay there.

Sighing with self-contempt for this weak – mortal – wish, he clenched his teeth and shouldered the backpack he had packed to quietly leave the house.

When he passed the kitchen, he froze. There, on the table in a white vase was the rose he had given her yesterday. Filled with rage that was only directed at himself, Loki stormed over to it. They had met amidst roses, they both loved roses, their mothers before them had loved roses, Abby’s favourite movie was about a rose, her perfume smelled of roses… it all came down to that. Roses.

Closing his eyes as he felt hot tears in the Loki knew with utmost certainty that he would never be able to enjoy the scent of a rose again, for it would always remind him of Abby… of the one night he had been happy, the one thing he wanted most and could not have.

Snarling in his fury, he seized the pink rose and crushed the blossom between his fingers, destroying it like he hoped he would ever be able to quench those feelings that raged within him. Gripping the rose, Loki groaned when a thorn dug deep into his palm before he flung the flower across the room. But the pain was welcome, it helped at least the tiniest bit to dull out the sadness he felt.

He left the petals where they fell, like no one had ever bothered to pick up the shattered pieces of his life, not even Loki himself. No one… but Abby.

Enraged and desperate, feeling near a breakdown, he stormed out of the kitchen to leave the house.

But he stopped dead in his tracks when he entered the kitchen and heard Abby gingerly step down the stairs. She would see him, no matter what, there was nowhere to hide and no way would he reach the door before she saw him.

“Loki?”, she asked sleepily, a smile in her voice, “Are down there?”

He closed his eyes and dreaded what was to come when he heard her mutter in amusement: “Probably making breakfast, aren’t you?”

Her trust, her care for him took him by surprise, but at the same time they did not. This was Abby, trusting and naive, why should it have occurred to her that he had just been using her? The worst thing about it was that she was right and he finally admitted this. He had started out using her, but by now he did care for her, he lov… no, he could not even bring himself to think it even though he knew it was true.

“Loki?”, she asked again, coming closer and now concern was in her voice, he could hear it. His eyes still closed, he called forth his magic and cloaked his form from her sight. Standing there, yet invisible to her, Abby walked directly past him wearing nothing but a dressing gown she clutched to her body like a shield.

“Loki?”, she asked and glanced around. When her gaze found the crushed rose, her eyes filled with tears and it lacerated his heart, tore every last filament of it to tatters. Shivering, Abby stepped up to the door leading to his separate little flat and when she found it empty, devoid of every last trace of his presence, her shoulders slumped and she shook her head, sniffling quietly.

“Of course.”, she then bitterly muttered to herself, “What would someone like you want with…someone like me?”

Loki wanted nothing more than to hold her, dry her tears… but he could not do that. He had to go, even though he felt tears prickle in his eyes. It was not fair… but then again, nothing ever had been, not for him.

“Well… back to normal.”, Abby firmly said, drying her tears, but still blinking heavily. She went upstairs and Loki knew he should go, but he was too weak. So he waited until she had dressed, lurking out of her vision to watch her eat breakfast, even though it was ridiculous. But she did not. She got dressed, picked up her purse and simply left.

Loki had to hurry to sneak out of the front door behind her before she turned around. He knew that he should go, leave her and never look back… but he stayed and accompanied her on her way, even though she could not see, could never again be allowed to see him.

She passed the takeaway they had used to buy tea and scones at and reminiscing tore at Loki’s already smashed heart. Abby glanced at the scones, but shook her head, sadness in her eyes, then she continued her way to work. Why he did that, Loki was sure he would never be able to understand, maybe it was punishment, maybe insanity, but he followed her into the building.

“Good morning, Doc!”, the guardsman Hank wished her and then stuttered, “Is Loki not with you?”

She winced and so did Loki seeing the pain in her eyes.

“Doc?”, Hank asked again, concern in his voice, “Are you alright, girl?”

“Yes.”, she brusquely replied and when Hank blinked at her, she added a bit calmer, “I… did not get enough sleep. Sorry, Hank. And no, Loki appears not be with me.”

With that, she left the guardsman standing where he was, even though he looked at her with unveiled confusion and concern.

“Well, have a nice day…”, Hank wished her, shaking his head, and Loki had to fight back a groan of disgust for himself. This was his doing, Abby was miserable because of him. He ought to never have talked to her, instead just taken the Gem. But now it was too late for that.

He followed her into the direction of her office, but was disappointed, if not surprised to see her go directly into the back room instead, where she proceeded to open the vault. He did not follow her in there, but knew that she was getting the Purple Gem, he could feel it. Also, he knew that the magic emanating from the two Gems would allow him to stay invisible almost infinitely.

Abby studied the Gem, but then, without releasing it from her grasp, proceeded to the cabinet holding the other Gem. Loki reached for her and could barely stop himself from telling her not to do this. She should not bring the two Gems into close proximity, but it was not his place to tell her, not anymore. If it had ever been his place.

Abby put the two Gems on a working bench, then turned around to get paper for her notes. In that few seconds she did not look at them, the Gems glowed and skidded closer to each other, no, the green Gem skipped towards the purple one, as if pulled by magic. Loki could not let her see that. So with a gesture, he called his magic forth and pushed the green Gem back to the spot it had been lying in.

When Abby turned around to the Gems again, their glowing abruptly stopped, but nevertheless she suspiciously cocked her head to one side and glared at the Gems, but then shook her head.

“Stop imagining things, Goddard.”, she scolded herself and added in an angry mutter, “Like someone actually fancying you, someone like him on top of it…”

This was so typical. Loki had to fight against the urge to tell her that no, it was not her fault, he had not deceived her, at least not concerning his affections for her, but it did not in the least surprise him that she believed it was all her fault, this was Abby after all.

He watched her work with the Gems, watched her turn them around and around for no particular reason he could fathom. Loki felt their power, knew that it had increased since they had found the second Gem, or rather since the second Gem had made its presence known. But why?

He still could not understand that and it bothered him.

With a frustrated sigh, Abby looked at her watch and muttered: “No way I’ll get anything done. Damn it.”

Saying this, she brought the Green Gem back into the cabinet, leaving its purple sibling unattended for the moment. It was the opportunity to seize it and run, she would never have known what had happened.

Loki reached for the Gem and ignored the remorse in his heart trying to choke him.

“Abby?”, reached Mary’s voice through the room and Loki withdrew his hand, merely brushing the tips of his fingers over the surface of the Gem. It was smooth and warm to his touch, the magic of it prickling his skin and singeing his nerves.

“Yes?”, Abby turned to her assistant, the green Gem still in her hands, “What is it?”

“You…have the Gems out?”, Mary asked and Loki frowned at the tone of her voice, “Both of them?”

Why was she so interested? A few days ago she had been terrified… and that was the moment it hit him. She was hiding something, the tone of her voice telling that she was lying and not exceptionally good at it as if she was not used to it. Thor would have lied a lot like that if he had ever tried.

“You…”, Mary began, but stopped then snorted and spun around, tightly locking the door behind her.

“Mary?!”, Abby asked in confusion, “What are you doing?”

“Shut up.”, her assistant asked, “Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“What?”, Abby asked again, but she got no answer, at least not in words, but Mary crouched down and put a small cube on the floor.

“Mary, what is this?”, Abby asked, slight anger and much more confusion in her voice, reflecting Loki’s emotions in quality, if not quantity, for he was absolutely enraged by Mary’s behaviour when he stared at the cube…and slowly understood that it was a device of both magic and technology, far advanced technology.

Without realising it, he stepped between Abby and the device, ready to defend her from whatever was coming their way. But he had not been prepared for what happened.

The cube on the floor sizzled with energy visible in bright sparks that expanded around it, slowly fanning out and forming a bright pane of opaque, dark magical energy. It was a portal.

As soon as Loki had realised this, someone stepped through and it shocked him to the bone to recognise the person.

“Mister Tivan…?”, Abby whispered in confusion, “What…?”

After him came two creatures Loki did not recognise, but their brawny built reaching to a man’s height even though they were on four legs and crouched low, their muscles rippling under grey leathery skin, along with their long, black gleaming sabre teeth told him to stay well away. And so should Abby.

“I did what you told me, love.”, Mary beamed at him and Loki could do nothing more but stare, confusion mingling with shocked disgust as Mister Tivan smiled at Mary.

No…this was not the sponsor Loki had met. He had not realised it back then, but Mister Tivan had actually used shape-shifting to conceal some of his features and this had bothered him when they had met, this subliminal display of magic. But why had Abby recognised him then?

He had no time to wonder, because he now knew who this man was. Seeing him now without such a disguise Loki recognised him from stories and rumours he had heard. And now his presence made terrible sense, for who else should strive to collect all the Infinity Gems but the Collector himself?

And he knew exactly where to find them, for obviously he had Mary at his side, Mary who had found the green Gem.

“Yes, dear, you did all I asked of you.”, the Collector, now not in Midgardian attire anymore, but in full armour, spoke softly to the young girl and gently stroked over her cheek, adding, “All I ever needed of you.”

With a movement almost too quick for Loki to observe it, the Collector seized Mary’s neck and with a sharp twist broke it. The sickening crunch made Loki wince, but Abby screamed. Clutching the Gem to her chest as if it was a shield, she stumbled back and Loki followed her, standing between her and the Collector, when she stuttered in fear: “W-what do you want?”

“Is it not obvious?”, he asked her and casually, picked up the purple Gem as he passed the work bench, then held his hand out to Abby, palm up and said softly, “The Gem, dear. And no one needs to get hurt.”

“You…you killed her…!”, Abby stuttered as if she had just realised this and she stared at Mary’s dead body, fallen where she had stood mere seconds before.

“I did.”, the Collector shrugged without wasting a glance at the murdered girl, “A pity, really, she was pretty, but so, so stupid. Actually, I did you a favour. Provided you live long enough to savour your work with a new, more adequate assistant. So, dear, give me the Gem.”

“No.”, Abby said behind him and Loki clenched his fists. Adorable, naive… strong Abby. He had never thought that she was this brave.

The Collector sighed heavily and clicked his tongue, a command that sent the two beasts at his side closer to Abby, growling and baring their teeth, ready to attack.

“Think about it, Miss Goddard.”, he reasoned, “This Gem is beyond your power, you can never hope to fathom anything about it, not even the least shred of what it holds. I, however, do understand all of them and I can put them to good use.”

“Good for whom?”, Abby mumbled anxiously, “For the greater good? Or just good for you?”

Loki had no idea how to resolve his inner conflict between staying hidden and protecting Abby. And, if they ever met again, he would have to seriously talk to her about when exactly to find courage and when to give up.

The Collector smiled generously at her accusation and said: “Let me put it this way: If you give me the Gem, it is surely all the better for you and in the sense of an immediate effect.”

The threat was unmistakable in his growled words and his two beasts picked up his anger, for their growls intensified as well.

“Abby!”, someone yelled from outside and banged against the door, “Stop locking yourself in, Goodness’ sake! We too have to work!”

“Julian, go away!”, Abby cried and Loki was sure that everyone would have heard the fear in her voice – everyone but Julian, who yelled back, “Stop this nonsense, I’m coming in!”

“No!”, she warned him, but the Collector smiled, “Your chance, Miss Goddard. Give me the Gem and he will not be harmed. No one else need be harmed if you hand me the Gem now.”

“I…can’t.”, Abby said and Loki glanced at her, saw her resolve crumbling, when Julian started unlocking the door.

“Last chance, Miss Goddard.”, the Collector said, but all she did was cry, “Julian, go!”

“Bullshit.”, her colleague cursed and bust through the open door. Without a word, the Collector nodded in his direction and did not even turn around when one of his beasts snarled and jumped at Julian, tearing him apart. Abby, however, stared at the scene, her gaze transfixed and her eyes widened in horror.

“Now.”, Tivan started again, all business-like and not touched at all by the gruesome and bloody scene behind him, “If you would be so kind…”

His beasts were distracted and so was the Collector himself. This was his chance, he had no other. Loki fired two blasts of magic, one locking the door to keep the others in the museum as safe as possible, the other smashing in the window behind him. He was taking a chance, hoping that the Gems would boost his magic, and prayed he would not be mistaken.

Fuelling the magic from the two Gems, Loki then erected a barrier of energy, cutting the beast on top of Julian and his dead body along with it clear in half, shielding Abby and himself from the Collector. All he could do was hope it would buy them enough time to flee.

For good measure, he directed another blast at the Collector and the remaining beast, taking them by surprise. Spinning around, he dropped the cloaking spell and rushed to Abby.

“Loki…”, she breathed in disbelief, but he shook his head, “No questions. Come!”

Together, they fled, jumping through the blasted window and running. This would not go unnoticed and for once, Loki found himself hoping that S.H.I.E.L.D. would notice inconsistencies with what the Midgardian police would make of the incident and he also hoped they would be quick about it. For there was no chance whatsoever to fight the Collector on his own and, quite frankly, he would rather leave that pesky fight to the Avengers anyway, seeing how they had sworn to protect or at least avenge Midgard. His sole interest was to ensure that he and Abby got away safely.

But no such luck. He felt the presence before he heard the remaining beast snarling and howling behind them and catching up fast. He skidded to an unsure halt when three more of them appeared and surrounded them. They had barely managed to leave the museum’s expanse.

“Behind me.”, he barked an order at Abby and racked his brain about how to fight those monsters, whishing desperately that he had a weapon on him, something more than the dagger in his boot. Abby whimpered in fright behind him and Loki knew that they had to admit defeat. Yet this made him hate this fact no less.

The beasts closed in on them, slobber dripping from their fangs with far too many rows of teeth for his liking. Glancing at Abby, he opened his mouth to order her that she should hand the Gem over to the Collector and damn the consequences!

Loki could already feel him approaching, now that he did no longer conceal his power. He just hoped they would live long enough to get away.

“Abby…”, he began, unsure what to say, when a new presence made him wince. No, it was not new, but… changed.

The beasts around them jumped back as if in fright or confusion and Loki spun around to Abby who was still holding the green Gem that was now glowing. Unsure what was happening, Loki could do nothing but stare and did not even look up when the beasts around them howled in pain and then ran off.

“Abby…!”, he began, wanting to ask what she had done, how this had happened, but he did not get the chance. The green Gem emitted a powerful light that exploded in a sphere of blinding green, engulfing the two of them. The last thing he saw was Abby, her eyes wide in fear as the green light swallowed them both, then… blackness.


	14. Chapter 14

Loki woke in the brightest sunlight and, blinking heavily, shielded his eyes against the sun. A smile on his face, he ran his fingers through the almost white sand he was sitting on. The soft sounds of the breaking waves of the blue-green ocean in front of him accompanied by a light, welcome breeze made him smile happily.

Tilting his head back, he looked at the sky overhead and saw nothing but blue, not a single cloud was in sight. Behind him, where the beach gave way to a lush forest, he heard the rustling of trees in the wind, but he did not know the trees, neither from Midgard nor from Asgard.

No matter, he decided with a shrug, it was a beautiful sight nonetheless. But something… was odd.

Shaking his head, Loki had the distinct impression that he had forgotten something, something of absolutely vital importance, something pivotal to his survival. However, he had no idea what that could be.

Shrugging again, he got up, felt the warm sand beneath his toes, walking over the beach barefoot and relishing the soft, warm sand under his feet and the sea breeze in his hair. It was beautiful here. Strolling aimlessly, he let his gaze roam and thought he could spot something… no, someone in the water. And when he recognised her, he smiled contently. How could he have forgotten that Abby was here, too?

She had also caught sight of him and waved, before swimming towards the beach, towards him where he felt she belonged, naturally. She dived the last bit of distance and when her body broke through the surface, Loki’s breath hitched in his throat, for she was naked. Such a beautiful sight…

Smiling at her, he opened his arms for her and without hesitation, Abby returned his smile and came to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“I’m drenched and now so are you, I’m sorry.”, she pouted then, but he leaned back to look into her eyes and gently said, “No need to apologise, love. Such small an inconvenience is a more than acceptable price for embracing you.”

Within an instant, she smiled again and got to the tips of her toes to place a soft kiss on his lips he most gladly accepted and returned with passion. When she set back, now again not reaching to his height, Loki leaned down to her and whispered against her lips: “Moreover, drenched clothes are the best excuse to get rid of them entirely.”

Snorting indignantly, but laughing at the same time, Abby playfully tried to wriggle out of his arms, but Loki held her, did not allow her to leave him and their whimsical struggling threw them off balance, so that they finally wound up falling, but laughing. Loki’s laugh ended abruptly when he hit the ground, soft sand under him, but nevertheless hard enough to knock the wind from his lungs, especially when Abby landed on top of him, just as intended, and still laughing. She, too, stopped, when she looked into his eyes and he could not restrain himself, yet he did not even bother to try.

Loki slid his hands into her dripping wet hair and pulled Abby close, kissing her lips much more fiercely than before, but he had no intention to wait. After all, there was no one near them, they were utterly alone, but together. What more could he ask for?

He rolled on top of her, peppering her neck and her face with kisses, laughing a breathless laugh when Abby tugged at his shirt to get it off. He helped her, flung it aside and when he met her gaze again, heat and hunger in those dark doe-eyes, Loki whispered: “I love you.”

Abby blinked at him as if startled and somehow, he was nonplussed too, but it was nothing but the truth. Then she smiled and wordlessly pulled him down into another kiss.

Smiling into the kiss, Loki took her hands in his and led it over her head, pinning her in place. As a response, she merely smiled and pressed her body against his, their loins to deliciously close to one another, yet too far apart. But even this contact sufficed to make Abby gasp in lust and tighten her hold on Loki’s hand.

“Ouch.”, he winced in surprise and she let go of his hand immediately, asking in concern, “Are you hurt?”

“I…think so.”, he mumbled and looked at his palm in which he found a prick that had not begun to heal yet and was sensitive therefore.

“How did that happen?”, Abby asked, but he shook his head, frowning deeply…something was wrong.

“Do you feel that?”, he asked and Abby blinked in confusion so Loki withdrew and sat down next to her, looking around, “Something… is off. Are you not under the impression that we forgot something? Something absolutely important?”

“I am…”, Abby admitted and pulled her knees to her chest, reducing herself to a tiny ball, “I just hoped… that it would go away if we ignored it.”

“No.”, Loki said firmly, “But what is it…?”

Curious, he looked at his pricked palm again and gasped when a memory hit him. A crushed rose…

“Oh no…”, he breathed and immediately, Abby put her arm around him, but he brusquely shrugged it off. Shocked and hurt, she asked: “What is wrong?”

“Everything.”, he snarled, “Think, Abby, how did we come here?”

“I… don’t remember…”, she muttered and bit her lip, so he reckoned a memory was tugging at her mind as well.

“Think!”, he hissed at her and as her shoulders slumped in defeat, Abby sighed with deepest sorrow. The clearest proof that this was no normal beach was that they were both wearing their normal clothes again, those they had worn when they had fled from the Collector.

When Abby looked at him again, tears were running down her cheek and she sniffled quietly before she mumbled: “You left. What did I do wrong?”

Loki stared at her. There was so much she could have asked, could have said… or even yelled at him, names she could have called him. Yet she chose to put the blame on herself.

“I did.”, he said, however, he was utterly unable to look her in the eye, “But this is not your fault.”

She did not answer and Loki knew she did not believe him.

“Then explain it to me.”, she asked quietly, yet he heard the demand in her tone. Every other mortal that had dared to talk to him like that, he would have crushed just like that pink rose… He sighed sadly and looked at his palm again, at the fresh prick.

“I cannot do that…”, he then mumbled and glanced at her, but could not stand the sadness in her eyes, hating himself for his failure and his feelings.

“You tell me now.”, Abby ordered, “And don’t think of talking your way out of this other than telling me.”

He sighed again, thinking about what to say.

“And don’t you dare lie to me.”, Abby positively growled. Never had he felt threatened by a mere mortal, but she succeeded at this.

“You will not even believe the beginning of my tale.”, he laughed bitterly, but all she did was dryly reply, “Try me.”

Again he glanced at her, then hid his face in his hands, trying to organise his words, yet failing. So he simply started to talk, although his voice was barely above a whisper: “I did not lie to you in at least some details. I am adopted, the only mother I knew died and I could not be there for her. And… I am Loki of Asgard.”

Saying this, he looked at her, willing her to understand. And when realisation dawned upon her, she shook her head, whispering: “You can’t be…”

“That is what I thought.”, he bitterly replied, “Repeatedly. But it is true. I am Loki, son of Laufey. I am a Frost Giant, found and raised by Odin Allfather and his wife, Frigga, in Asgard, raised as a brother to their son Thor, God of Thunder. I fought alongside the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, I brought forth Sleipnir…”

“But…”, Abby stuttered, then shook her head to clear her thoughts before she nodded at him, “Go on. Tell me everything.”

“Everything?”, Loki echoed meekly and she nodded, “Why did you come here, why did you spend time with me if… I obviously never meant anything to you.”

“That is not true!”, he said immediately, “What I said… about you, about caring for you… I meant it, every single word.”

He should not have said that, but he needed her to know, somehow, he needed this little comfort, even if it hurt.

She doubted his words and Loki hung his head when he realised that he had lost her. So what did it matter, really, if she knew it all? Nothing, he decided, and so he told her… everything. How he had time and again sabotaged Thor’s life, how he had tried to destroy Jotunheim, how he had lost everything, how the Tesseract had tricked him, the Trickster, to believe it would help him, how he had tried to conquer Midgard and failed, how he was responsible for deaths unnumbered, how he had lost his mother, how he had tricked Thor and finally, how he had tried to take Asgard from its old king Odin Allfather and failed, yet again, so that he had wound up in London. He left nothing out: “I felt the presence of something powerful in the Museum and decided to claim it as mine, to regain my magic. I was perfectly fine with using you. But somehow… I thought it would be, I don’t know, fun? I thought it would be fun to trick you into giving the Gem to me and somehow I stayed without wanting it. And then, somewhere along that ridiculous path, I found myself caring for you, trying to protect you from the Infinity Gem as no one had protected me from the Tesseract.”

Abby swallowed hard, took a deep breath and then said firmly: “Alright, that… explains a lot. But why did you leave?”

“What?”, Loki stuttered. He had laid everything bare, confessed that he had murdered… and all she cared about was why he had left…?

“Why did you leave?”, she repeated her question, showing him that he had in fact not misheard it the first time.

“Abby…”, he began, “I am… responsible for pain, destruction, death. Not only in those stories you have told at the Museum, but only recently. I killed.”

“Directly?”, she asked and he shook his head in confusion, but did not answer, “I am a monster.”

“No.”, she said firmly, shaking her head and reaching for his hands, but Loki withdrew them and snarled, “I am! I used you, I am responsible for death and…”

“You already said that.”, she gently interrupted him and for a moment, Loki could do nothing but stare at her.

“There is nothing good about me…”, he then muttered, but Abby smiled at him softly and objected, “There is plenty of good in you. You only have to let it show. And if you will let me, I will help you with that. Because I lov…”

“You can’t!”, he cried, shaking his head violently, then he whispered in terror he could not grasp, “You cannot love me…”

“I can.”, Abby said and smiled, “And I do.”

“No…”, he breathed, but she only shook her head again and then grasped his hands, not letting him go when he tried to withdraw them again, “Listen to me. You were about to use me, but you never did. You protected me, you helped me whenever I needed someone… and there was only you. Most of the time I thought you were too good to be true.”

Loki shook his head grimacing, but Abby joked kindly: “Now I know why. You’re a God.”

“I am no God!”, Loki spat and it startled himself. He had wanted to be a God, be worshipped… but not by Abby, not like that.

“You are a man, most of all.”, Abby said and cupped his cheek so tenderly that Loki was unable to resist and leaned into her touch, “And every man, every living being, has mistakes. We make them, that is inevitable. What is important is to make the best of our failures, we have to learn from them.”

“I do not think I ever did…”, Loki confessed and knew it was true, but something he had never admitted to anyone. Thor had given him chance after chance to redeem himself, even when he had said that he did no longer trust Loki. He had trusted him nonetheless. And Loki had betrayed him. It was a curious emotion, guilt. And for once, he felt it.

“Then this is a good time to start.”, Abby nodded and leaned in to embrace him. Relief made Loki sigh and pull her close, even though he did not believe that she was truly in his arms. Again, despite it all.

“Why?”, he whispered in her ear, “How can you still…?”

“Because I believe in you.”, Abby said and smiled at him, “I have seen that you can be fierce, cruel even, but for as long as I have known you, not once did you torment someone out of boredom or just because of opportunity. You like mischief, but it was all in good humour. Once you were cruel, but with that you did what I could not. You drove Frank away, saved me.”

“I only did that because of you, for you.”, Loki objected and Abby nodded, “I know and I am grateful. So yes, you have been unnecessarily cruel in your past, but you learned. The only way to redeem yourself from the guilt you feel is to act on what you have learned.”

“How? I cannot change what I have done!”, Loki hissed, but she shook her head mildly and explained, “That is not what I meant. The past is in the past, leave it there. But think of our future. And remembering what you have learned, you will act differently in years to come. And I will gladly help you if you will let me.”

“No one else.”, Loki breathed and carefully, leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips, doubting whether she would allow it. But she did and it filled him with relief he had not thought he would feel again.

Abby gave him a bitter smile and when he frowned, she said: “We have to go back, don’t we?”

“Unfortunately, yes. I do not think that there is anyone else who knows about the two Infinity Gems at the Museum and the Collector.”, he replied and as Abby sighed in defeat, the green Gem appeared in her hands again.

“How…does that work?”, she asked and Loki shrugged, unsure whether he remembered what little lore he knew about the Infinity Gems correctly, “I do not know for sure. But you brought us here, so you can bring us back.”

“I did that?”, Abby asked and he nodded, “Yes, you did. I do not understand how that is possible, for humans do not possess magic. But somehow you did bring us into this pocket universe. This is the Soul Gem, it holds this pocket universe, but how to access it, I do not know. Yet you brought us here.”

Abby frowned and Loki himself was probably pondering on the same question, how had she brought them here without magic of her own? He had no idea, but a surge of magical energy and the alarm it caused in him wiped the thought from his mind.

“Abby… hurry.”, he told her and she stared at him as she heard the fear in his voice and she whispered, “What is it?”

Loki could not help it, he looked towards the energy he felt and was not surprised to find the blue sky clouded over with darkest clouds, growling as if in anticipation to unleashing the tempest they held.

“We have to go.”, he firmly told Abby, “This Infinity Gem, if I am not mistaken, controls souls. Our deepest wishes, like this beach… but it can also destroy a soul.”

He left unsaid that any second they stayed longer would endanger them more, but from Abby’s frightful nod he was sure that she had gathered that.

“Okay…”, she breathed and closed her eyes, clutching the Gem to her chest, but with her other hand she reached for Loki and he took it, entwined their fingers. He had no idea how and if he could help her at all, but as this thought was still in his mind, he felt the pull of magic and again they were both engulfed in greenest light.

Abby’s eyes flew open and met Loki’s, but he could neither answer the question in them, nor could he take away the pain and fear. He would only add more, of this he was sure, but still, she loved him. Whatever it would take, he would fight, if only to save her and no one else.


	15. Chapter 15

The first impression that reached Loki was heat…fire… and the cacophony of a battle raging all around them. But Abby was still in his arms and shielding her with his body, he frantically looked around. What he saw was blood, destruction, and fire.

“Oh my God…”, Abby muttered, “This… this is the museum.”

Indeed it was, but it was barely recognisable anymore, the vault completely exposed and cracked like an egg, its valuable contents spilled into the streets of London.

“Hank!”, Abby cried in fright and tried to dash away to the lifeless body of the security guard they had worked with, but Loki held her against him, telling her, “He is dead.”

“But…?”, she began and it hurt him, but they had more important issues at hand, “He is dead, Abby. We have to go!”

She sniffled, but followed him when he ran into the other direction, hoping desperately for a weapon, for a place to hide Abby. But he knew he would not leave her alone, would not think her safe when she was not with him, but knowing that with him she could never be safe, even more so in the middle of a battle.

He found a corpse on the side of the road and hesitated for a second. The technology was as advanced as the one of the Chitauri, but this was another breed, yet clearly a foot soldier. No matter, he decided and stripped the corpse of its helmet, shield and weapon.

“Take this.”, he ordered Abby as he put the helmet over her head, fastened it and therefore pressed the shield into her hand, “Hide behind this as best you can. It should work against the Collector’s allies.”

“Why do I feel you have done something like that before?”, Abby joked uncomfortably and he smirked for a moment, “Because I told you. And where do you think I learned to defend myself? On the battle field of course.”

This left her staring, but she kept up when Loki ran again, towards the clash of battle. Ahead of him, on Russell Square, he saw two of the beasts the Collector had had with him and another of the alien foot soldiers he had taken their gear from, but he could not spot the person attacking them with bright beats of pulsing laser.

“What is your plan?”, Abby asked when he hid behind a bright red phone booth to spot this other opponent and he replied, “To get out alive, both of us.”

“And how?”, she asked bravely and he gave her a proud smile for that, relishing in her trust in him, but then growing serious again as he said, “I am not yet sure. We have to get out and take the Gem with us. The Collector cannot have it, it has to be destroyed, but I do not possess the means for this.”

She nodded and awaited his orders like a loyal soldier looking up to his officer. Real soldiers stormed the park in front of them and for a moment, Loki thought the military had already joined in the fight, when he realised just who they were facing. And when he did, he groaned. SHIELD.

“We have to go.”, he told Abby, not willing to tell her what was going on. Instead he guided her into the street, trying to avoid the skirmish ravaging the park. Two of the alien foot soldiers, bulky things in light grey armour and armed with swords, spotted them and Loki pushed Abby behind his back to defend her. He made short work of them as they were only soldiers and not equipped to deal with magic and skill he possessed, but when he returned to Abby to flee with her, he saw her stare in fear.

“Watch out!”, she cried and before he could react, she pushed him aside, actually knocked him to the ground and protected them both with the shield he had given her. She then knocked the heavy piece of alien metal against the muzzle of another of the beasts Loki had not seen. He stabbed it with the long spear he had looted before and it died with an anguished cry.

“Are you alright?”, Abby asked and he was astonished, but did not take the time to dwell on it, instead, he pulled her away. And froze, when a voice called after them: “Do you really think this will save you?”

“Oh no…”, Abby whispered and Loki grabbed the spear in his hand tightly, holding onto it for dear life. Plastering a cocky smile on his face to display courage he did not feel, he turned around and faced to Collector as he said: “Why do you ask? Was this plan too ingenious for you to grasp?”

The man snarled at him and once again, extended his hand towards Abby: “Hand me the Gem, Miss Goddard, and no one needs to be harmed. This bloodshed can stop and the decision is in your hands.”

“It is not.”, Abby called defiantly, “It could stop, yes, but you would never do that, not you.”

“She is too clever for you by far.”, Loki added another insult, knowing full well that he should brace for an attack. But he was appalled when the Collector’s weapon did not aim at him… but Abby instead.

“No!”, he called, but it was too late. Abby barely managed to hide behind the shield he had given her, but it was cracked in half and the white-hot beam grazed her arm, the stench of burnt flesh filling Loki’s nostrils.

“That was a mistake.”, he growled, but the Collector only smiled, “No, not giving the Gem to me was a mistake. I might have let you both live for I have no quarrel with you. But the Gem is mine. Hand it over… or die.”

Abby was still defiant and retreated slowly, which only made the Collector sigh impatiently. But he hesitated, just like Loki did, when music – or a sorry excuse for it – filled the air around them. What…? Oh no. He knew that kind of situation.

So he was not surprised when he saw the Man of Iron, blasting his favoured rock music and shooting beams of energy right into the Collector’s chest. He barely managed to deflect them, but he did and focused on his new opponent.

“It’s a shame what you did to London.”, Tony Stark’s irritating voice called out to the Collector, “Such a beautiful city. But trust me, it will be again when we’re finished with you.”

“Then come and get me.”, the Collector invited him, but Stark evaded a shot and laughed mechanically in his face, “What, and take all the fun away from the others?”

This made Loki wince. The others? He could only refer to the Avengers and Loki would under no circumstances stick around to meet them all again.

“Come.”, he ushered Abby on and together they ran. From the corner of his eye, Loki thought he caught a glimpse of the self-righteous Captain, a bolt of blue and red, but he did not stop to make sure, instead, he urged Abby to run faster and stabbed or magically pushed back every beast, every foot soldier they encountered on their path. But the raging battle and debris on the street hindered their advance considerably.

He felt, rather than saw or heard, danger from behind them and pulled Abby aside, just in time before something dashed past them like a cannonball, right through the spot in which Abby had stood a moment before. The shriek of metal scraping over concrete accompanied the red and gold bullet that had shot past them and with slight terror Loki saw the battered state which the Man of Iron was in. This did not bode well for the Avengers’ fight against the Collector and therefore for their escape.

“Oi, Reindeer Games!”, Stark called when he saw him, “What the hell are you doing here?!”

“Never mind!”, Loki shot at him and tried to push past him, but was pulled aside by Abby, barely in time so that another projectile, this time blue, did not crash into him, but Stark instead. In a tangled heap the Man of Iron and the Captain lay there and Loki pulled Abby away, but before they had done a single step he knew it was too late.

“Halt!”, the Collector ordered and used magic or technology Loki did not know to keep all four of them exactly where they were. This battle was lost.

Turning around, Loki stood before Abby, shielding her as best he could, even though he knew it was useless.

“Enough play. Give me the Gem!”, the Collector ordered, but it was Stark who answered, “Sorry, no can do!”

He accompanied his words with shots of energy which in turn were supported by the Captain’s shield. However, none of them hit the Collector, neither did Hawkeye’s arrows Loki only caught a glimpse of before the Collector deflected them all. But what three of the Avengers had failed to accomplish, the Warrior’s Three had no such difficulty, as always. Loki saw them all, Hogun, Volstagg and Fandral, so he knew Lady Sif could not be far… and neither his brother. True to his assumptions, all five of them charged and Mjöllnir hit home, caving the Collector’s breastplate in so brutally Loki was sure he would choke on his own blood in that smashed piece of armour.

The Captain joined in the fray, as did Hawkeye, the soldier Loki had once thought he had controlled, but when he retreated with Abby, the Man of Iron put a metallic hand on his shoulder, clamping down hard: “Don’t think you’ll get away this time.”

“Oh, really?”, Loki grinned at him and smashed the spear against the man’s head.

He had wanted to knock him out and leave, but Stark put up an unnecessary fight. They exchanged blows and Loki felt bruises and cuts all over, but he did not stop, he had to get Abby out of here.

“Run!”, he ordered, but he had no time to make sure she had listened to him. The Man of Iron dealt a blow against his temple, which Loki evaded, but when he tried to strike back, the spear was wrenched from his grasp and his arms were grabbed so tightly he could not move anymore. He kicked, lashed out, but stopped fighting when Thor appeared in front of him. Why was he not fighting the Collector?

A quick glance told him that the Collector had vanished and he frantically asked: “Where is he?”

“Gone.”, Thor told him and Fandral added, “But make no mistake. He is so heavily wounded he will not live to see the next day.”

Loki burst out laughing, even though it was a bitter sound.

“Ignorant fool!”, he then snarled at the warrior, “You have no idea who you are dealing with.”

He refrained from telling them that the Collector was in fact immortal, he knew it from his daughter Hel, knew that Tivan’s soul would never enter the realms of the dead. But what did it matter, none of them would listen. Loki was at least glad, that Abby had escaped, so she was safe. For that much, he was grateful for Thor’s appearance, but he was also annoyed and not yet sure whether one emotion could outweigh the other.

“I never trusted the Collector.”, Sif snarled in Loki’s ear as it was her and Volstagg holding him in place, “But then again, neither did I trust you. So it is good we found you both and in one place on top of it.”

She twisted his arm and Loki hissed in pain as he was sure that she would dislocate his shoulder if she kept that up.

“Stop it!”, came a yell from behind him, “You’re hurting him!”

No… he had hoped that Abby had gotten away, but instead she still held the Gem to herself and with the other hand tried to pry Sif’s arm away from Loki.

“Abby, no.”, he told her, but it was Hogun who grabbed a hold of her and pulled her away.

“Don’t you dare hurt her!”, Loki growled at him, but the Warrior only shot Thor a blank glance, but held Abby in place.

“Lady Sif is right, it is good that we found you. But we never really lost you.”, Thor said and when Loki only managed to stare at him, realisation dawning upon him he refused to believe, the God of Thunder pointed over his head at a tree in which two ravens were sitting. Now having his magic back, most probably fuelled from the pocket universe of the Gem, Loki finally recognised them for what they really were: Hugin and Munin, just as he had feared.

“So…”, he croaked, “Even if Heimdall had ever lost sight of me, Odin would never have.”

It was no question, he knew it was true, but he refused to believe it. Thor looked him straight in the eye and said warmly, yet firmly: “We do not abandon our kind.”

“I am not your kind!”, Loki snarled and fought against the two warriors holding him, but to no avail.

“No.”, Thor spoke sadly, “Not by birth. But you could be in character if you finally accepted knowledge you have neglected and denied for too long.”

He looked at Abby, smiled as he greeted her with a polite nod and then returned his gaze to Loki, quietly saying: “But I do believe you know now.”

Enraged, Loki struggled again, for he knew exactly what Thor meant, respect and love for another being, especially for mortals. But what enraged him the most was that Thor was actually right, again. He had found this knowledge and had to admit it was important. Admitting this to himself in silence, Loki stopped fighting.

“Let us return to Asgard.”, Thor said and Loki slumped down in his capturers’ hold. He would lose Abby and be condemned to another eternity… without her. He was not sure he could bear that.

“I cannot let you do that!”, the Captain’s voice reached them and a blooded, bruised but furious soldier stormed over to them, “Loki is responsible of crimes too great and too horrible to let him go.”

“True, my friend.”, Thor agreed and Loki knew he was lost, all effort in vain, “But he does not answer to your jurisdiction. We will take him to Asgard where he will receive a trial.”

“Oh yeah, because that worked out so well last time.”, Stark chimed in, his visor open and he then crunched up his face, “Oh wait… it didn’t!”

“Regardless, my friends.”, Thor said firmly, yet calmly, “We have to return him to the justice of my father. Please understand this.”

Loki was of half a mind to ask his oaf of a foster brother why he still thought that these mortals would listen to a single word he said, but then the Man of Iron surprised him: “Well, I don’t really care as long as he is off our streets. If he’s off the planet, only for the better.”

“You can’t be serious!”, the Captain interrupted but Stark only shrugged and waved at them all, “I’m outta here.”

And simple as that, he was gone.

“This isn’t over yet.”, the Captain stubbornly said and even though Loki knew he was wrong, he did not bother to correct him. All that mattered to him was that again he had failed and now he would lose even more than he ever had possessed before. He would lose Abby. He did not even dare look at her.

“Now that this is out of the way…”, Fandral began and Sif nodded, jerking Loki forward, “Come on, your trial awaits.”

“Loki…”, Abby sobbed, but still he did not turn to look at her. He did, however, look up in fury when he heard Thor’s command: “Hogun! Bind her, then bring her to me.”

“No!”, Loki called, but the warrior was already following the order he had received, “You cannot do this!”

“I have to.”, Thor said and then grabbed a hold of Abby’s arm. She shrank away from him in fear so Loki pleaded: “Do not hurt her, at least grant me this much.”

“I swear I mean no harm to her.”, Thor reassured him and then held his hand out to Abby who only proceeded when Loki nodded reluctantly, “You have my word, young Lady, that I do not mean you harm.”

“Okay…”, Abby drawled, but blinked heavily while she looked around, insecure and afraid. Loki wished he could lift that burden off her.

“We will take you both to Asgard.”, Thor said and turned to the heavens, ready to call for Heimdall, but Loki interrupted, “Why?”

“The Allfather commanded it.”, Sif snarled and Loki’s heart threatened to stop. This could not be good…

“Heimdall!”, Thor called out and a second later, he felt the familiar, yet still strange surge of energy the Bifröst exercised on those it transported. Abby was scared, he could feel it, but he could do nothing to alleviate her suffering, so he…simply did nothing. He would have to wait for an opportunity to present itself and maybe… maybe he would be able to get them both out.


	16. Chapter 16

The sense of familiarity Loki felt when they arrived in the chamber at the end of the Bifröst filled him with dread. So much had happened here and almost none of it he thought of with fondness in his heart. Here he had chosen to die and been betrayed, even this ultimate choice had been taken from him. And he dreaded the thought of the Tesseract even more.

Once, it felt like a lifetime ago, he had believed himself to be able to change his fate, to start anew after everyone had believed him dead. But no, he had wanted too much, had been too proud, too greedy… and he had lost it all, yet again.

With a deep sigh he fought back this accusations he was throwing at himself, knowing they were true, even though it all sounded too much like what Thor and Odin would have to say about his desire of power, but he did not want to think about it.

“It is good to see you well, Prince.”, Heimdall’s deep, sombre voice addressed Thor before the gatekeeper turned to Loki and added, “The same goes to you.”

The words maybe, Loki thought cynically, but he meant them in a wholly different way, meant that it was best for him to be back where he could be held captive and controlled – or so they thought – but he decided to reply defiantly. However, his voice betrayed the bitterness he felt when he quietly said: “Why, Heimdall? You never lost sight of me anyway, did you?”

“I did not.”, the keeper answered and Loki nodded in disgust.

“I did, however, give you some… privacy.”, Heimdall spoke up again and when Loki looked at him, not comprehending what he was referring to, but feared he could guess, he caught the keeper’s gaze and saw it quickly flitter over to where Abby was standing. Just for a moment, but it told Loki what he had feared was true: Heimdall knew, he knew about his closeness to Abby. All he could now hope for was that he did not use this knowledge against him and that Odin had not yet learned of it. It was ridiculous to cling to this hope, but it was all he had.

“What… is this?”, Abby breathed and Loki looked at her in concern. But despite their predicament, she almost smiled in awe. He, too, felt a smile tug at the corners of his lips; she was so beautiful, so kind and adorable. His heart froze when he thought of the possibilities why the Allfather had wanted her here as well and one was more gruesome than the next.

“This, young lady, is Asgard.”, Thor gently told her, but she winced and shied away from him, suddenly remembering their situation as captives again and her eyes went to Loki, but he could not help her now. He was even starting to think that whatever he tried, he would only make it worse for her. He was doomed anyway.

“Let’s go.”, Sif urged them on and yanked Loki’s arm so that he hissed in pain before he was able to get a hold on himself again.

“The Allfather awaits you.”, Heimdall informed them and Loki froze, “Now? Right now?”

“Why, of course.”, Fandral joked cheerily, “Wouldn’t miss the return of his prodigal son for the world.”

“Silence, my friends.”, Thor demanded, “Father ordered me to bring you to him as soon as we had found you and the lady you were with.”

Turning to her, Thor asked: “So come.”

She nodded shyly, but Loki knew she was afraid and not only because she would have been a fool greater than the oh so great Thor himself not to see the danger she was in. No, he also saw it in her tight shoulders, her eyes quickly darting to and fro and in the way she bit her lip. The wish to help her, take that pain from her, to do… something, anything was overwhelming, but Loki was no fool, he knew he was powerless. At the moment.

So he decided to bide his time and simply waited when Sif and Volstagg dragged him towards the throne room and his only consolation was that at least Abby was treated with kindness and respect while Thor led her a few steps in front of him. But she was nonetheless a captive, of that Loki made no mistake. But at least Thor had the decency to treat her with respect as she deserved it. And again, unbidden, the thought occurred to him that maybe she was not the only mortal out there who deserved such respect. And once again he tried to discard the thought as some gibberish Thor or Odin would have told him. But he could not quite shrug it off anymore, it stuck with him.

Abby looked around in awe and Loki had to admit that Asgard was beautiful, but all the memories of this place pressed down on him and so did Abby’s fear he could clearly see. So it surprised him greatly when Thor spoke to her and at first, Abby winced, but when the soft tone of his voice reached her, she relaxed a bit as he explained the sights on their way, told her of the Bifröst and of the buildings they passed. Something… was wrong.

The more Abby seemed to relax, even though she remained wary, Loki tensed more and more. This was not right.

He racked his brains about what it was, what his foster brother’s intentions could be, but he found no reasonable explanation for this behaviour. Could he be just trying to be… nice? The thought was ridiculous, but it was the only reason he could think of. On the other hand, Loki knew that Thor’s crazy ideas, whatever their cause, were not the most pressing problems of his, he had to find a way out for both of them.

Looking around, Loki was not surprised to see the contempt with which some of the residents glared at him, but he did not care, instead, he tried to find an escape route, an abandoned ship, anything…

“Don’t even think about it, lad.”, Volstagg said next to him, calmly, but determinedly, yet Loki snickered bitterly and replied, “Do you really think you know what I was thinking?”

“You are not that hard to see through these days.”, the warrior grumbled, but Loki only sneered at him, as if that imbecile had ever possessed the imagination to be even remotely able to grasp his ideas…

But he refrained from making another comment when the throne room came into sight. Whatever Odin had planned for him, it would not be pleasant. No matter, he swore, he would never, under any circumstances, allow the old man to see how much being separated from Abby pained him. The mere thought made Loki almost topple over, but he remained resolute.

The hall was empty apart from Odin, wearily sitting on his throne and a few guards on either side, but there was no one else. The thought occurred to Loki that this was an awfully small court that was to be held to decide his ultimate fate. But what unnerved him the most was Abby’s presence… what did the old man want her here for?

“Father.”, Thor’s voice boomed through the empty room, “We found Loki right where Heimdall told us, your ravens had not lost sight of him. And we have brought him with us, as you ordered, just like the girl Heimdall saw him with.”

“Kneel before your King.”, Sif snarled at Loki and shoved him hard, yet even though he stumbled, he stayed on his feet, turned to her and with a grin told her, “Why don’t you start, Lady Sif? I would appreciate it.”

He left no doubt whatsoever that he meant her to kneel in front of him, fully aware of the position this would bring her into and he smirked as he saw her blush furiously.

“Stop playing your games in my hall.”, Odin ordered and Loki defiantly turned to him, asking, “Why should I? What have you ever left for me but my games? Even my magic has never been more than a game to you.”

Loki felt the smouldering glare with which Sif and the Warriors Three regarded him and he saw bitterness in Thor’s eyes, sadness even. Had his oaf of a brother really thought he had magically changed? He really was a fool.

“You are not here to discuss your magic or your games.”, Odin firmly told him, “You are here because of your crimes. Those you have already been put to trial for and those you committed despite your sentence of eternity.”

Loki defiantly stared at him, but decided not to keep quiet. He simply could not keep his mouth shut when accused: “You do know that your dear true son and heir was the one who freed me, do you not?”

“Thor’s deeds are his, not yours, and thereby not matter of this court.”, Odin stated and Loki scoffed before he laughed quietly, “Yes, of course. He cannot do wrong with you. He never could.”

Thor looked at him as if willing to stop him, but Loki paid him no mind and he did not dare look at him for too long for he was still guarding Abby and if he looked at her… he would not be able to keep this bravado up, for bravado it was.

Odin was untouched by his words and simply continued: “Your crimes on Midgard before your escape have already been discussed in court and you were sentenced to eternity alone.”

Abby gasped in shock and without even glancing at her, Loki knew that she was appalled at this sentence. It surprised him, it truly did. He had told her of his crimes, and still she felt sympathy for him. She was too kind for her own good and astonishingly enough, he wanted to protect her instead of take advantage of her weakness.

The Allfather, however, noticed none of this and spoke: “You fled your imprisonment and deceived all of us, tricked us into believing your alleged death. You impersonated me, your King, and then evaded your King’s justice by stealing an artefact beyond price.”

“I know what I have done.”, Loki interrupted and silence fell.

“No, you do not.”, Odin calmly replied and he could not help it, he froze, shivers raced down his spine and he felt like a child again, being chided for some misstep. This voice, calm and ice-cold, had always terrified him as a child: “You know nothing, little boy. The artefact you stole? It called to the Infinity Gem you encountered in London and it also called to the Collector who was after them all. Do you have the slightest idea what would have happened had he gotten a hold of all of them? And due to your reckless foolery he now has one more Gem in his possession.”

“He does not have this one…”, Abby whispered and showed the Gem to the Allfather. He stared at her for a moment, then nodded at Hogun to take it from her and spoke: “Silence. You will be dealt with later.”

Loki was trembling with rage when he heard that, but he kept it in for once. Odin turned back at him and continued unfazed: “Not all is lost yet, but you have aided a cause dangerous to all the Nine Realms, brought devastation and pain to the Midgardian city of London.”

He could have objected that none of the Collector’s deeds were his fault, but to what end? His sentence had already been decided and nothing he could offer in his defence would convince the mighty Allfather otherwise.

“Your sentence is eternity. Alone.”, his sentence was pronounced and Loki had expected nothing else, dreaded nothing more than an eternity apart from Abby, but he smirked in bravado he had no heart for and scoffed, “And how exactly is this different from the last sentence that has failed to hold me?”

He ignored Sif’s hiss of disgust, Thor’s sadness and defiantly stared at the Allfather who calmly explained: “Last time, the term “alone” was used loosely. You will not see anyone, no other being until the end of your life. You will be alone with nothing but your thoughts… and regrets.”

Loki swallowed. But he was still determined not to show his pain and despair, he would have plenty of time for despair later… in an eternity all alone.

Without another word, the Allfather turned to Abby who shrunk under his scrutinising gaze. Still Loki did not dare look at her, he merely watched from the corner of his eyes.

“You harboured a fugitive from Asgard, assisted in his pursuit of the Infinity Gem and thereby contributed to the desolation of the city you called your home, the deaths of others. You are charged with complicity in these crimes and are found guilty of harbouring the fugitive. Your sentence is death.”

Abby wordlessly stared at the Allfather, as did Loki in utter disbelief for a moment. Then he burst out: “You cannot do this!”

“I can.”, Odin objected, “And all the charges against her are legitimate.”

“No!”, Loki cried, appalled and disbelieving. In desperation, he even looked at Thor for help, his last resort crumbling when he found his foster brother’s face blank of emotion, apparently consenting with the Allfather’s verdict.

“No.”, he said again, “You cannot do this.”

Odin raised an eyebrow at him and with cruel curiosity asked: “Why do you care what happens to a mere mortal?”

“Because…”, Loki began, but stopped when he realised that there were tears in his eyes. He could not hold them back and neither did he care whether they would spill or not. Instead he looked at her who was pale and crying and he admitted: “Because… I love her.”

Silence filled the throne room, so thick and almost alive he could sense it, but Loki heard his own heartbeat pound in his head. The silence was brutally broken when Odin clasped his hands together and spoke satisfied, almost cheerful: “Good. Release them both.”

“W-what…?!”, he manage to stutter after long, stretching seconds in which he had been reluctantly released from the tight grip on his arms, but he did not move, was not sure he would even be able to had he tried. Surely, he had misheard.

But with the brightest of smiles Loki could not comprehend Thor released Abby and gently put a hand on her shoulder. She, however, ignored the God of Thunder next to her and dashed forward, sobbing: “Loki!”

Still disbelieving, but desiring nothing more than to stay in this dream should it prove not to be reality, he snatched her up in his arms and held her tight, mumbling disbelieving nonsense into her hair, feeling her heart galloping against his own, both beating too hard and too desperately.

“How?”, Loki uttered, blinking heavily and disbelievingly at the Allfather, who smiled generously, a smile Loki had loved for the first few years of his life as it had meant the explanation of a great truth or mystery… but he had learned to resent it in later years when it had barely been aimed at him, but only at Thor. It felt good – safe – to see it again, somehow.

“Your flight from Asgard was doomed from its beginning, Loki. Heimdall and my ravens never lost you and the teleportation to Midgard cost you all your magic. I wanted to bring you back immediately, to throw you back into the cell that was waiting for you. But then… then I saw you with the girl who is now in your arms and I noticed some… change in you. I decided to give you a chance. Your mother would have wanted it for you, a chance to redeem yourself. So I gave it to you in memory of Frigga.”

He tried to blink away the tears, but he could not, they fell and were gently wiped away by Abby’s soft, tender hands. His mother had saved him even from beyond her death. One more thing he was eternally grateful for, as he had always been to have had her in his life.

“So we gave you the time you needed and watched your development.”, Odin explained, this generous smile still on his face, “And you learned, you learned humility, learned to care for someone, to put the interests of others before your own. You did well.”

Shaking his head, Loki thought about this, only slowly realising what he had learned indeed and how much of it all the Allfather and Thor had tried to tell him for some time now, but he had not wanted to believe it. And then, when he really succeeded to comprehend the extent of what Odin had done, he muttered: “You tricked me. You tricked me. You tricked the Trickster.”

“Indeed.”, Odin chuckled, “Like it or not, but you are my son and I know you better than you ever thought this old man capable of.”

And more than he had ever hoped for. Yet he would be damned to say such a thing, instead he settled for a barely audible, but heart-felt: “Thank you.”

Odin merely nodded, but then looked at Abby and spoke: “Take care, child. He is complicated.”

“I know.”, Abby nodded and then looked into Loki’s eyes, “But worth it. You are worth it. And I love you.”

He truly was at a loss for words, so he did not even try to form them, but instead gently cupped Abby’s cheeks and kissed her. They were interrupted by Thor’s booming laughter: “It is good to see you happy, brother!”

With that, he slung one arm around Loki, resting the weight of the heavy limb on his shoulders so suddenly Loki thought his knees would give way. Abby chuckled and when Thor put an arm around her too, he did so much more carefully. Good for him.

Grasping both of her shoulders then and looking down at the so much smaller woman in front of him, Thor mumbled smiling: “I never thought a woman would teach my brother so much. It worked with me, but I thought it would take more to get through his thick skull.”

Loki frowned angrily, but Sif hissed at him: “You got away with everything you have done because they both love you so much. Shut up, Loki, just this once.”

“I see you are as happy to have me back as my brother dearest is.”, he teased and she glared at him, much to Volstagg’s amusement, “By the Nine Realms, lass, don’t you see he’s toying with you? And all you do is give him more poison arrows to fire at you.”

Sif frowned, but Loki nodded generously at the warrior; who would have known that his marriage had taught him so much about manipulation?

Thor had not listened to their exchange as he had talked to Abby and was now opening his beefy arms for her. And to Loki’s surprise, Abby smiled, albeit insecurely, and allowed the mighty warrior to hug her. Astonishing.

“You, dear lady, possess strength and power my brother has never thought of.”, he said, letting go, and Loki possessively went to Abby’s side as he told Thor reluctantly and begrudgingly, “I learned, brother.”

“So you admit that mortals have strength?”, Thor prompted and he knew that the warrior was trying to annoy him on purpose now, he grinned widely, but Loki grumbled in silence and merely pulled Abby closed.

“You are wrong, Thor.”, Odin chimed in and as all eyes turned to him, he added, “The mortals of Midgard do possess impressive strength, but still you are wrong in this case.”

Thor stared at his father, as did Loki and he even winced when the Allfather asked: “Come here, child, come to me.”

Abby bit her lip, the most tell-tale sign that she was nervous, but Loki nodded at her, even though he felt as insecure as she was. Slowly, she approached the dais, then climbed the steps to the throne. When she stood before Odin, the Allfather looked at her from head to toe, scrutinising and then he focused on her face, studying it. Loki grew anxious. What was this about?

“Do you know your father?”, Odin asked her and of all the things he could have asked, Loki was astonished to hear this. But when his wits gained on the situation, his eyes wide went. No… this was not possible.

“Unfortunately, I do not.”, Abby said sadly, “He left my mother shortly after I had been born, that is all I know.”

Odin nodded slowly, but then told her: “Your father’s name was Nighils, he was a guard of the palace and a loyal fighter in our ranks.”

“You… you know him?”, Abby breathed and then sank to her knees in front of Odin, not out of respect, as Loki was sure, but just because her knees had given way, “Where is he?”

Sadness showed in Odin’s old eye and Abby sighed: “You said his name “was”… he is dead?”

“Yes, he is.”, the Allfather confirmed and Abby lowered her head in defeat. No longer ignoring the impulse to be there for her, Loki too climbed the dais and pulled her to her feet again, holding her to his chest where he felt her cry silent tears for a man she had never met…and never would.

“He fought as a loyal guard in many a battle, one of them so fierce that it would have threatened to extend to this very palace had it not been for him and others who sacrificed their lives that very day.”, Odin explained and Abby sniffled, but nodded at him and even managed a weak smile, “Thank you.”

“He had always had a soft spot for children. It was Nighils who pointed me to you.”, Odin quietly spoke to Loki and he froze. Did he owe his life to Abby’s father…? The Allfather nodded, confirming what he had just thought, and Loki’s heart skipped a beat. Had it not been for this man, neither he nor Abby would be standing there…

“How did he…”, she began, “How did he die? How did he meet my mother?”

“I do not know.”, Odin admitted, “I do have my suspicions, but I do not have proof. All I know is that he somehow travelled to Midgard after this battle in which we found my son, and Nighils stayed hidden there for almost two years. When we found him again and brought him back, he went with the guards, reluctant, but without a fight. Years later, he died in a battle in another realm, defending his home Asgard.”

“Heimdall could not find him for two years?”, Thor spoke and it was the exact same thing about this story that had struck Loki as odd. But when Odin raised an eyebrow and refused to speak, he knew. Heimdall had allowed the guard to leave and he refused to tell where he was, giving him the opportunity to live a life he had wished for. Now Loki understood and it did Heimdall honour that he had. Now he finally understood.

“He mentioned you once.”, Odin told Nighils’ daughter, “Before a battle, he would pray that you were safe.”

Now her tears fell and Loki held her, but his mind was racing. She was Asgardian, at least half. He was glad to know that for many a reason, but mostly because it meant that they would be able to live a long life together. If she wanted him, that was…

“Tell me your name, child.”, Odin asked of her and she gently detached herself from Loki’s embrace and told him: “Abby.”

“No”, Odin mildly smiled, “Your full name.”

She blinked, but then answered: “Abigail Sigyn Goddard.”

When he heard her middle name for the very first time, Loki froze. Complete and utter silence fell in the room and the only one not aware of its reason was Abby, who frantically looked around and asked: “What? What is it?”

“Nothing.”, Loki whispered as he pulled her against him, “Sigyn? Your name is… Sigyn?”

Out of the corner of his eyes, Loki saw the Allfather smile, but Abby in front of him merely shrugged uncomfortably and said: “Well, yes. My mother said that my father had suggested my name. Why?”

“It is Asgardian.”, Loki told her and her eyes went wide, but then he rested his forehead against hers and added in a barely audible whisper, “And a sorceress told me that Sigyn was my fate, that I would find her one day and that this day would change everything.”

“Oh…”, was all Abby managed to say and Loki chuckled happily, pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then turned to Odin once again, accusing him with a smile, “You knew, did you not? You knew from the beginning who she was?”

“Of course I did.”, the Allfather told him, “Why do you think I left you exactly where you had landed per chance?”

He should have known, but he had never thought that someone would trick the Trickster himself. He liberally ignored the red-headed mortal within the Avengers who had done that before. Instead, he looked at his father, the man who had raised him and taught him much, to say: “Thank you.”

Odin merely nodded and then said: “Your chambers are still as they have been before. You may retreat, both of you. There will be punishment, of that have no doubt, but Frigga would have wanted a life for you, she pleaded with me before your trial. Go.”

Loki swallowed hard as he heard this, but he took Abby’s hand in his and together they left, but Thor followed them. Upon Loki’s glare, he raised his hands with a chuckle and defended himself: “I will escort you to your chambers. Some are not happy to see you back, but time will heal their wounds as it will heal yours.”

“No.”, Loki merely objected, but he left unsaid what he told the woman beside him with a deep gaze into her eyes; time alone would do nothing, but Abby would and the time with her. Her knowing smile told him she understood and for the first time in his life Loki was content with what he had: The fond memory of his mother, his home and the woman he was meant for, Abby.


End file.
